<p>In rats, the application of a painful stimulus has shown an increase in overall arousal and the ability to learn certain behaviours (The study is neatly summed up in this video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-DgV2vixSo">Motivation and Reward in Learning</a>). The experiment with electric shocks is shown on the second half.</p>

<p>It is common sense that human beings would naturally avoid painful consequences, but the deliberate application of a noxious stimulus may also elicit a unconscious response, or conditioning, to avoid those behaviours, which would mean a faster learning rate.</p>

<p>Learning could also be improved because pain is an intrinsically meaningful response, while perceived failure is somewhat weaker and less imediate as a motivating agent.</p>

<p>Could small electric shocks, applied by another individual, or a computer program (maybe even self-administered), have any use in learning? At what specific tasks would this technique be more effective?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-21T12:41:01.340Z
I can't source this properly at the moment, but for a very long time, painful stimuli have been used as an aid to memory--see the English tradition of "beating the bounds", where often parish children were smacked at each boundary.
Krysta
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-01T23:53:47.427Z
What requirements do you have of "learning" for the purposes of this question? Is getting something into declarative memory good enough? What about creating procedural memory? Also, if the learning method results in the subject learning a skill, but simultaneously reducing his motivation to ever practice that skill, do you consider this "effective" learning, or not?
rumtscho
<learning><pain>
Could a painful stimulus be effectively used as a learning aid?
MathET
# Could a painful stimulus be effectively used as a learning aid?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-04-21)

In rats, the application of a painful stimulus has shown an increase in overall arousal and the ability to learn certain behaviours (The study is neatly summed up in this video: [Motivation and Reward in Learning](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-DgV2vixSo)). The experiment with electric shocks is shown on the second half.

It is common sense that human beings would naturally avoid painful consequences, but the deliberate application of a noxious stimulus may also elicit a unconscious response, or conditioning, to avoid those behaviours, which would mean a faster learning rate.

Learning could also be improved because pain is an intrinsically meaningful response, while perceived failure is somewhat weaker and less imediate as a motivating agent.

Could small electric shocks, applied by another individual, or a computer program (maybe even self-administered), have any use in learning? At what specific tasks would this technique be more effective?

**Tags:** learning, pain

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I can't source this properly at the moment, but for a very long time, painful stimuli have been used as an aid to memory--see the English tradition of "beating the bounds", where often parish children were smacked at each boundary.  
> **username_2**: What requirements do you have of "learning" for the purposes of this question? Is getting something into declarative memory good enough? What about creating procedural memory? Also, if the learning method results in the subject learning a skill, but simultaneously reducing his motivation to ever practice that skill, do you consider this "effective" learning, or not?  

---

## 0 answers

