Reliability and interjudgment predictability of subjective judgments of electrocutaneous stimulation.

The within and between day reliability and interjudgment predictability of subjective judgments (threshold, discomfort, pain, and tolerance) produced in the laboratory by a highly controllable electrocutaneous stimulation technique were investigated. Results indicated low to moderate reliability and predictability at the threshold level, excellent reliability at all suprathreshold levels, as well as excellent predictability at the discomfort and pain levels. The implications of these findings for the use of electrocutaneous stimulation in the study and measurement of pain in the laboratory and the possibility of using different psychophysical methods to measure the sensory and reactive components of the pain experience are discussed.