Abstract
In this chapter, we address two issues. Initially, we consider how to assess the sensations and emotions that occur through touch. This is not a trivial problem, for there exists a wealth of potentially relevant language that one might use to construct appropriate psychometric instruments. After reviewing the limited number of prior tactile lexicons, we illustrate a method by which we have developed a new lexicon for touch. This ‘Touch Perception Task’ allows the assessment of relevant sensory and emotional components of perception. In the subsequent part of the chapter, we review two classes of devices for the study of touch. These devices either allow tactile stimuli to be delivered in a highly controlled manner, or allow the assessment of the physical interactions between skin and stimulus during tactile perception. The former robotic stimulators are of particular relevance to the study of C-tactile afferents, because they allow stimuli to be presented to hairy skin with velocities that are well- or ill-suited to stimulate such afferents. The other class of force-plate devices tends to be limited to assessing finger−surface interactions, which do not involve C-tactile afferents. However, active touch using the fingers is an important human behavior, which can certainly be replete with emotion. As such, it is important to reconcile C-tactile mediated affect, and the affect that derives from touch devoid of these afferents. Robotic and force-plate devices will both be of utility in this respect.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ackerley R, Olausson H, Wessberg J, McGlone FP (2012) Wetness perception across body sites. Neurosci Lett 522:73–77
Almeida IF, Gaio AR, Bahia MF (2008) Skinfeel analysis of oleogels. J Sens Stud 23:92–113
Bergmann Tiest WM, Kappers AMI (2006) Analysis of haptic perception of materials by multidimensional scaling and physical measurements of roughness and compressibility. Acta Psychol (Amst) 121:1–20
Bhushan N, Rao AR, Lohse GL (1997) The texture lexicon: understanding the categorization of visual texture terms and their relationship to texture images. Cognit Sci 21(2):219–246
Björnsdotter M, Larsson L, Ljungberg T (2000) Post-conflict affiliation in two captive groups of black-and-white Guereza Colobus Guereza. Ethology 106:289–300
Blakemore S-J, Wolpert D, Frith C (2000) Why can’t you tickle yourself? Neuroreport 11:R11–R16
Cardello AV, Winterhalter C, Schutz HG (2003) Predicting the handle and comfort of military clothing fabrics from sensory and instrumental data: development and application of new psychophysical methods. Text Res J 73:221–237
Cascio CJ, McGlone FP, Folger S, Tannan V, Baranek G, Pelphrey KA et al (2008) Tactile perception in adults with autism: a multidimensional psychophysical study. J Autism Dev Disord 38:127–137
Diamond A, Amso D (2008) Contributions of neuroscience to our understanding of cognitive development. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 17:136–141
Donley B, Allen B (1977) Influences of experimenter attractiveness and ego-involvement on paired-associates learning. J Soc Psychol 101:151–152
Dravnieks A (1982) Odor quality: semantically generated multidimensional profiles are stable. Science 218(4574):799–801
Dravnieks A (1985) Atlas of odor character profiles (no. (PCN) 05-061000-36). ASTM, Philadelphia
Essick GK, Chopra A, Guest S, McGlone FP (2003) Lingual tactile acuity, taste perception, and the density and diameter of fungiform papillae in female subjects. Physiol Behav 80:289–302
Essick GK, James A, McGlone FP (1999) Psychophysical assessment of the affective components of non-painful touch. Neuroreport 10:2083–2087
Essick GK, McGlone FP, Dancer C, Fabricant D, Ragin Y, Phillips N et al (2010) Quantitative assessment of pleasant touch. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 34:192–203
Fabricant D (2000) A new stimulator for studying the affective components of touch. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill
Foxall G, Greenley G (1998) The affective structure of consumer situations. Environ Behav 30(6):781–798
Gee MG, Tomlins P, Calver A, Darling RH, Rides M (2005) A new friction measurement system for the frictional component of touch. Wear 259:1437–1442
Guest S, Dessirier JM, Mehrabyan A, McGlone FP, Essick GK, Gescheider GA et al (2011) The development and validation of sensory and emotional scales of touch perception. Atten Percept Psychophys 73:531–550
Guest S, Essick G, Mehrabyan A, Dessirier JM, McGlone FP (2014) Effect of hydration on the tactile and thermal sensitivity of the lip. Physiol Behav 123:127–135
Guest S, Essick GK, Dessirier JM, Blot K, Lopetcharat K, McGlone FP (2009) Sensory and affective judgments of skin during inter- and intrapersonal touch. Acta Psychol (Amst) 130:115–126
Guest S, McGlone FP, Hopkinson A, Schendel ZA, Blot K, Essick G (2013) Perceptual and sensory-function consequences of skin care products. J Cosmet Dermatol Sci Appl 3:66–78
Guest S, Mehrabyan A, Essick G, Phillips N, Hopkinson A, McGlone FP (2012a) Physics and tactile perception of fluid-covered surfaces. J Text Stud 43:77–93
Guest S, Mehrabyan A, Essick GK, McGlone FP, Hopkinson A (2012b) Perception of fluids with diverse rheology applied to the axillary versus volar forearm skin. Somatosens Motor Res 29:89–102
Harlow HF (1958) The nature of love. Am Psychol 13:673–685
Harper R, Bate-Smith EC, Land DG (1968) Odour description and odour classification. Churchill, London
Hartnett JJ, Gottlieb J, Hayes RL (1976) Social facilitation theory and experimenter attractiveness. J Soc Psychol 99:293–294
Hertenstein MJ, Keltner D, App B, Bulleit BA, Jaskolka AR (2006a) Touch communicates distinct emotions. Emotion 6:528–533
Hertenstein MJ, Verkamp JM, Kerestes AM, Holmes RM (2006b) The communicative functions of touch in humans, nonhuman primates, and rats: a review and synthesis of the empirical research. Genet Soc Gen Psychol Monogr 132:5–94
Heslin R, Nguyen TD, Nguyen ML (1983) Meaning of touch: the case of touch from a stranger or same sex person. J Nonverbal Behav 73:147–157
Holbrook MB, Batra R (1987) Assessing the role of emotions as mediators of consumer responses to advertising. J Consum Res 14(3):404–420
Hollins M, Bensmaïa S, Karlof K, Young F (2000) Individual differences in perceptual space for tactile textures: evidence from multidimensional scaling. Percept Psychophys 62(8):1534–1544
Hollins M, Faldowski R, Rao S, Young F (1993) Perceptual dimensions of tactile surface texture: a multidimensional scaling analysis. Percept Psychophys 54(6):697–705
Hopkinson A, Essick G, Mehrabyan A, Guest S, Lawton G, Williams AKNW et al (2008). The role of friction in the tactile perception of lubricated surfaces. Paper presented at the Materials & Sensations
Jerosch-Herold C (2005) Assessment of sensibility after nerve injury and repair: a systematic review of evidence for validity, reliability and responsiveness of tests. J Hand Surg Br 30(3):252–264
King SC, Meiselman HL (2010) Development of a method to measure consumer emotions associated with foods. Food Qual Prefer 21:168–177
Koutantji M, Pearce SA, Oakley DA (1998) The relationship between gender and family history of pain with current pain experience and awareness of pain in others. Pain 77:25–31
Laros FJM, Steenkamp J-BEM (2005) Emotions in consumer behavior: a hierarchical approach. J Bus Res 58:1437–1445
Lautenbacher S, Rollman GB (1993) Sex differences in responsiveness to painful and non-painful stimuli are dependent upon the stimulation method. Pain 53:255–264
Lederman SJ (1974) Tactile roughness of grooved surfaces: the touching process and effects of macro- and microsurface structure. Percept Psychophys 16(2):385–395
Lederman SJ, Klatzky RL (1987) Hand movements: a window into haptic object recognition. Cogn Psychol 19:342–368
Lederman SJ, Klatzky RL (1990) Haptic classification of common objects: knowledge-driven exploration. Cogn Psychol 22:421–459
Lévêque J-L, Dresler J, Ribot-Ciscar E, Roll J-P, Poelman C (2000) Changes in tactile spatial discrimination and cutaneous coding properties by skin hydration in the elderly. J Invest Dermatol 115:454–458
Levine FM, De Simone LL (1991) The effects of experimenter gender on pain report in male and female subjects. Pain 44:69–72
Löken LS, Evert M, Wessberg J (2012) Pleasantness of touch in human glabrous and hairy skin: order effects on affective ratings. Brain Res 1417:9–15
Löken LS, Wessberg J, McGlone FP, Olausson H (2006) The response of human unmyelinated afferents to brush stroking with varying velocity. Society for neuroscience—abstracts poster 143.5
Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone FP, Olausson H (2009) Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci 12(5):547–548
Major DR (1895) On the affective tone of simple sense-impressions. Am J Psychol 7:57–77
Manzocco L, Rumignani A, Lagazio C (2013) Emotional response to fruit salads with different visual quality. Food Qual Prefer 28:17–22
McGlone FP, Olausson H, Boyle JA, Jones-Gotman M, Dancer C, Guest S et al (2012) Differences in pleasant touch processing between glabrous and hairy skin in humans. Eur J Neurosci 35:1782–1788
McGlone FP, Vallbo Å, Olausson H, Loken L, Wessberg J (2007) Discriminative touch and emotional touch. Can J Exp Psychol 61:175–183
McGlone FP, Wessberg J, Olausson H (2014) Discriminative and affective touch: sensing and feeling. Neuron 82:737–755
McNair DM, Lorr M, Droppleman LF (1971) Profile of mood states. Educational and Industrial Testing Service, San Diego
Meaney MJ, Mitchell JB, Aitken DH, Bhatnagar S, Bodnoff SR, Iny LJ et al (1991) The effects of neonatal handling on the development of the adrenocortical response to stress: implications for neuropathology and cognitive deficits in later life. Psychoneuroendocrinology 16(1–3):85–103
Meerlo P, Horvath KM, Nagy GM, Bohus B, Koolhaas JM (1999) The influence of postnatal handling on adult neuroendocrine and behavioural stress reactivity. J Neuroendocrinol 11:925–933
Mehrabian A (1970) A semantic space for nonverbal behavior. J Consult Clin Psychol 35(2):248–257
Melzack R (1975) The McGill pain questionnaire: major properties and scoring methods. Pain 1:277–288
Melzack R (1987) The short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Pain 30:191–197
Melzack R, Torgerson WS (1971) On the language of pain. Anesthesiology 34(1):50–59
Montagu A (1986) Touching: the human significance of the skin, 3rd edn. Harper & Row, New York
Morley JW, Goodwin AW, Darian-Smith I (1983) Tactile discrimination of gratings. Exp Brain Res 49:291–299
Na Y, Kim C (2001) Quantifying the handle and sensibility of woven silk fabrics. Text Res J 71:739–742
Nagi SS, Mahns DA (2013) C-tactile fibers contribute to cutaneous allodynia after eccentric exercise. J Pain 14(5):538–548
Okamoto S, Nagano H, Yamada Y (2013) Psychophysical dimensions of tactile perception of textures. IEEE Trans Haptics 6(1):81–93
Olausson H, Cole J, Rylander K, McGlone FP, Lamarre Y, Wallin BG et al (2008a) Functional role of unmyelinated tactile afferents in human hairy skin: sympathetic response and perceptual localization. Exp Brain Res 184:135–140
Olausson H, Cole J, Vallbo Å, McGlone FP, Elam M, Krämer H et al (2008b) Unmyelinated tactile afferents have opposite effects on insular and somatosensory cortical processing. Neurosci Lett 436:128–132
Olausson H, Lamarre Y, Backlund H, Morin C, Wallin BG, Starck G et al (2002) Unmyelinated tactile afferents signal touch and project to insular cortex. Nat Neurosci 5:900–904
Osgood CE (1952) The nature and measurement of meaning. Psychol Bull 49(3):197–237
Osgood CE (1966) Dimensionality of the semantic space for communication via facial expressions. Scand J Psychol 7:1–30
Osgood CE, Suci GJ (1955) Factor analysis of meaning. J Exp Psychol 50(5):325–338
Patel J, Essick GK, Kelly DG (1997) Utility of square-wave gratings to assess perioral spatial acuity. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 55:593–601
Picard D, Dacremont C, Valentin D, Giboreau A (2003) Perceptual dimensions of tactile textures. Acta Psychol (Amst) 114:165–184
Ragin Y (2002) Development and testing of a psychophysical protocol for studies on the affective components of touch. Unpublished Masters dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill
Ripin R, Lazarsfeld PF (1937) The tactile-kinaesthetic perception of fabrics with emphasis on their relative pleasantness. J Appl Psychol 21:198–224
Russell JA, Mehrabian A (1977) Evidence for a three-factor theory of emotions. J Res Pers 11:273–294
Russell JA, Steiger JH (1982) The structure in persons’ implicit taxonomy of emotions. J Res Pers 16:447–469
Skedung L, Danerlöv K, Olofsson U, Aikala M, Niemi K, Kettle J et al (2010) Finger friction measurements on coated and uncoated printing papers. Tribol Lett 37:389–399
Smith AM, Chapman CE, Deslandes M, Langlais J-S, Thibodeau M-P (2002a) Role of friction and tangential force variation in the subjective scaling of tactile roughness. Exp Brain Res 144:211–223
Smith AM, Gosselin G, Houde B (2002b) Deployment of fingertip forces in tactile exploration. Exp Brain Res 147:209–218
Spence C, Gallace A (2011) Multisensory design: reaching out to touch the consumer. Psychol Mark 28(3):267–308
Stevenson RJ, Boakes RA (2003) A mnemonic theory of odor perception. Psychol Rev 110:340–364
Tannan V, Dennis R, Tommerdahl M (2005) A novel device for delivering two-site vibrotactile stimuli to the skin. J Neurosci Methods 147:75–81
Von Békésy G (1963) Interaction of paired sensory stimuli and conduction in peripheral nerves. J Appl Physiol 18:1276–1284
Weiskrantz L, Elliot J, Darlington C (1971) Preliminary observations on tickling oneself. Nature 230:598–599
Wolpert D (1997) Computational approaches to motor control. Trends Cogn Sci 1:209–216
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Guest, S., Essick, G.K. (2016). Psychophysical Assessment of the Sensory and Affective Components of Touch. In: Olausson, H., Wessberg, J., Morrison, I., McGlone, F. (eds) Affective Touch and the Neurophysiology of CT Afferents. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6418-5_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6418-5_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6416-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6418-5
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)