Word reading and pain: does short-lasting pain affect phonological decoding?

Some cognitive functions are impaired when experiencing pain, but the influence of pain on word reading accuracy and fluency has not been investigated before. The aim of this study was to explore how word reading as a controlled process (phonological decoding) was influenced by experimental pain. Pain-free participants (n = 176) were assigned to two different experimental groups, pain-induction (n =73) and no pain induction (n = 73). Participants performed the phonological choice task with their left hand immersed in a cold water-bath (pain induced group) or with their left hand immersed in a tepid water-bath (no pain group). The results were largely consistent with the null hypothesis because no significant difference between the pain-induced and the no pain group was revealed. A weak significant correlation between estimated pain intensity and the performance of the phonological choice task, as well as between estimated pain-related negative affect and the performance of the phonological choice task was found. Experimental pain is different from clinical pain. Therefore, the relationship between clinical pain and phonological decoding should be investigated in future studies. Drawing more heavily on controlled processes, the effect of pain on phonological decoding in less proficient readers should also be examined.