Skip to main content

Utilization of Temporal and Spatial Cues to Judge the Velocity and Traverse Length of a Moving Tactile Stimulus

  • Chapter
Information Processing in the Somatosensory System

Abstract

In a recent study (Essick et al., 1988) we obtained subjects’ estimates of the velocity and duration of a brushing stimulus applied to the skin of the dorsal forearm. It was discovered that the relationship between perceived duration and actual stimulus duration closely resembled that between perceived velocity and actual stimulus velocity. Since the reciprocal of perceived duration was found to be essentially proportional to perceived velocity, we regarded it as likely that subjects’ estimates of velocity and duration are based on a central neural mechanism sensitive to temporal cues provided by each brushing stimulus.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Boring, E.G. (1942). Sensation and Perception in the History of Experimental Psychology. Century Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cholewiak, R.W. (1976). Satiation in cutaneous saltation. Sens. Proc., 1, 163–175.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, P.J., G. Essick and T.A. Turvey (1987). Sensitivity within the distribution of intact and traumatized mental nerves. Proceedings, 69th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Association of Oral and Maxillo-f acial Surgeons, 70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, G. (1961). A simple method for fitting psychophysical power functions. J. Psychol., 51, 343–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engen, T. (1971). Psychophysics II. Scaling methods. In Woodworth and Schlosberg’s Experimental Psychology. (eds. J.W. Kling and L.A. Riggs). Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Essick, G.K., O. Franzen and B.L. Whitsel (1988). Discrimination and scaling of velocity of stimulus motion across the skin. Somatosens. Motor Res., 6(1), 21–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Essick, G.K., M. McGuire, A. Joseph and O. Franzen (1990). Characterization of the percepts evoked by discontinuous motion over the perioral skin, submitted.

    Google Scholar 

  • Essick, G.K., B. Whitsel, P. Dolan and D. Kelly (1989). Effects of traverse length on human perioral directional sensitivity. J. Neurol. Sci., 93, 75–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franzen, O., F. Thompson, B. Whitsel and M. Young (1984). Peripheral coding mechanisms of touch velocity. In Somatosensory Mechanisms. (eds. C. von Euler, O. Franzen, U. Lindblom and D. Ottoson). Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, E.P. (1988). Somatosensory cortical mechanisms of feature detection in tactile and kinesthetic discrimination. Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol., 66, 439–454.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, E.P., H.A. Hamalainen, C.I. Palmer and S. Warren (1988). Touching the outside world: Representation of motion and direction within primary somatosensory cortex. In Sensory Processing in the Mammalian Brain: Neural Substrates and Experimental Strategies. (ed. J.S. Lund). Oxford Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geldard, F.A. (1982). Saltation in somesthesis. Psychol. Bull., 22, 136–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geldard, F.A. (1985). The mutability of time and space on the skin. J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 77, 233–237.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geldard, F.A. and C.E. Sherrick (1972). The cutaneous “rabbit”: A perceptual illusion. Science, 178, 178–179.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geldard, F.A. and C.E. Sherrick (1983). The cutaneous saltatory area and its presumed neural basis. Percept. Psychophys., 33, 299–304.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geldard, F.A. and C.E. Sherrick (1986). Space, time and touch. Sci. Am., 255, 90–95.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hagbarth, K.E. A. Hongell, R.G. Hallin and H.E. Torebjork (1970). Afferent impulses in median nerve fascicles evoked by tactile stimuli of the human hand. Brain Res., 24, 423–442.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Helson, H. (1930). Discussion. The Tau effect-An example of psychological relativity. Science, 71, 536–537.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, R.S., M. Trulsson, K.A. Olsson and K.G. Westberg (1988). Mechanoreceptor activity from the human face and oral mucosa. Exp. Brain Res., 72, 204–208.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. and Y.L. Huang (1982). Space-time dependencies in psychophysical judgment of extent and duration: Algebraic models of the Tau and Kappa effects. Psychol. Bull., 91, 128–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalikow, D.N. (1967). Psychofit. Unpublished computer program (Fortran) for the analysis of magnitude estimates. Brown University, RI, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langford, N., R.J. Hall and R.A. Monty (1973). Cutaneous perception of a track produced by a moving point across the skin. J. Exp. Psychol. 97, 59–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levitt, M. and R. Schwartzman (1966). Spinal sensory tracts and two-point tactile sensitivity. Anat. Rec., 154, 377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mashhour, M. (1964). Psychophysical Relations in the Perception of Velocity. Almqvist and Wiksell, Stockholm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noordenbos, W. and P.D. Wall (1976). Diverse sensory functions with an almost totally divided spinal cord. A case of spinal cord transection with preservation of part of one anterolateral quadrant. Pain, 2, 185–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vierck, C.J. (1973). Alterations of spatio-tactile discrimination after lesions of primate spinal cord. Brain Res., 58, 69–79.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vierck, C.J. (1974). Tactile movement detection and discrimination following dorsal column lesions in monkeys. Exp. Brain Res., 20, 331–346.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wall, P.D. (1970). Sensory role of impulses traveling in the dorsal columns. IEEE Trans. Man Mach. Sys., 11, 39–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wall, P.D. and W. Noordenbos (1977). Sensory functions which remain in man after complete transection of dorsal columns. Brain, 100, 641–653.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitsel, B.L. O.V. Favorov, D.G. Kelly and M. Tommerdahl (1990). Mechanisms of dynamic peri-and intra-columnar interactions in somatosensory cortex: Stimulus-specific contrast enhancement by NMDA receptor activation. In Information Processing in the Somatosensory System. (eds. O. Franzén and J. Westman). Macmillan Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitsel, B.L., O. Franzéh, D.A. Dreyer, M. Hollins, M. Young, G.K. Essick and C. Wong (1986). Dependence of subjective traverse length on velocity of moving tactile stimuli. Somatosens. Res., 3(3). 185–196.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 1991 Macmillan Publishers Limited

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Essick, G.K., Franzén, O., McMillian, A., Whitsel, D. (1991). Utilization of Temporal and Spatial Cues to Judge the Velocity and Traverse Length of a Moving Tactile Stimulus. In: Franzén, O., Westman, J. (eds) Information Processing in the Somatosensory System. Wenner-Gren Center International Symposium Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11597-6_25

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11597-6_25

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-11599-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-11597-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics