Lifelong developmental processes in the understanding and expression of physical pain.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K03031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10020:Educational psychology-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: NAKASHIMA NOBUKO 新潟大学, 人文社会科学系, 教授 (40293188)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 認知発達 / 素朴生物学 / 痛みの理解 / 痛みの表現 / 科学と魔術

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Although there were few developmental differences in their judgements of the effectiveness of medical controls for pain, there was a U-shaped developmental tendency in that young children and adults estimated the effectiveness of non-scientific controls more highly than primary and secondary school children. The judgment of the effects of psychological control tended to be higher in adults than young children, primary and junior high school students. Regarding the development of various expressions of pain, non-verbal expressions continued to be the main pain expression from the age of one year, while verbal expressions of pain appeared in the first half of the first year and became one of the main pain expressions from the second half of the second year onwards. Verbal expressions about the site of pain were absent in the first half of the first year of life, but continued to increase until the second half of the second year of life, after which they showed little change.

Free Research Field

発達心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は，これまで十分に明らかにされていなかった幼児期から大人までの痛みの因果理解の生涯発達過程，痛みに関する表現の発達過程の解明につながる知見を示したことに加え，近年，注目されている科学的理解と非科学的理解の関係性（e.g., 外山,2015）を解明するうえでも重要な知見を示した点にある。本研究の社会的意義は，これらの知見が小児医療や学校保健現場での子どもの痛みに関する表現や理解の支援のあり方を考える上での基盤になる点である。