I am interested in the broad application of three mathematical models, statistical decision-making, multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis to general measurement problems in perception and memory, as well as to questionnaire construction and patient diagnosis. The application of these models to the sensory and emotional aspects of pain is the major, but by no means exclusive, interest.

These studies include gender and ethnocultural differences and patients at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Relevant publications:

Clark WC (2003): Pain, Emotion and Drug-Induced Subjective States: Applications of Multivariate Scaling. In: G Adelman and B Smith, eds. Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, 3rd Edition, Elsevier, Amsterdam. (Available on CD-ROM)

Clark WC (2003): Somatosensory and Pain Measurement by Statistical and Sensory Decision Theory. In: G Adelman and B Smith, eds. Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, 3rd Edition, Elsevier, Amsterdam. (Available on CD-ROM)

Clark WC, Yang JC, Tsui SL, Ng KF, Bennett Clark S (2002): Unidimensional Pain Rating Scales: A multidimensional affect and pain survey (MAPS) analysis of what they really measure. Pain 98:241-27

Clark WC, Wharton RN (2001): Sex differences in the language of pain: a hierarchical cluster
analysis. Psychosom Med 63:148

Yang JC, Clark WC, Tsui SL, et al. (2002): Preoperative Multidimensional Affect and Pain survey (MAPS) scores predict post-colectomy analgesia requirement. Clin J Pain 16:314-320

Russ MJ, Clark WC, Cross LW, et al. (1996): Pain and self-injury in borderline personality patients: sensory decision theory analysis, coping strategies, and locus of control. Psychiatry Res 63:57-65

Clark WC, Janal MN, Fletcher JD, et al. (1996): Gender and ethnocultural similarities and differences in the meaning given to descriptors of pain and emotion. In: TS Jensen, ed. Abstracts: 8th World Congress on Pain. Seattle, WA: IASP Press, p. 509

Clark WC, Bennett Clark S (1993) Remembrance of pains past? A commentary on: The accuracy of memory for pain: Not so bad most of the time. Am Pain Soc J 2:195-200

Gordon S, Clark WC (1974): Application of signal detection theory to prose recall and recognition memory in elderly and young adults. J Gerontol 29:659-665

Clark WC, Kuhl JP, Keohan ML, Knotkova H, Winer RT, Griswold G (2003): Factor analysis validates the cluster structure of the dendrogram underlying the Multidimensional Affect and Pain Survey (MAPS) and challenges the a priori classification of the descriptors in the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Pain 106:357-363

These NIH supported studies may be accessed on Medline.

 

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