A longitudinal study of pain sensitivity and blood pressure in adolescent boys: results from a 5-year follow-up.

A growing literature has observed a significant reduction in pain sensitivity among hypertensive animals and humans. It is uncertain whether a reduced sensitivity to pain can be observed in nonnotensive individuals who go on to develop high blood pressure. Blood pressure (BP) was reassessed in one hundred fifteen 19-year-old boys initially tested at age 14, when they were also presented with a pain stimulus (mechanical finger pressure). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that information regarding pain tolerance improved prediction of changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure beyond that afforded by differences in BP at age 14, parental history of hypertension, and body mass index. These analyses suggest that pain sensitivity may be associated with physiological processes involved in the development of sustained high blood pressure.     

International Applications of Computer-based Testing and Interpretation

The computer has been used to administer, score and interpret psychological tests in a number of countries throughout the world. This paper traces early work in the United States, Great Britain and continental Europe and reviews the current international status of computer-assisted psychological testing. Several problems with transporting existing computer-based psychological testing technology across languages and cultures are discussed.
Les ordinateurs sont utilisés pour administrer, noter et interpréter les tests psychologiques dans un certain nombre de pays du monde entier. Cet article évoque les travaux réalisés aux Etats-Unis, en Grande Bretagne et en Europe Occidentale, et passe en revue les données du courant international en la matière. Plusieurs problèmes technologiques sont soulevés par la diffusion de ces tests, notamment sur les plans du langage et de la culture.