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Haptic perception: a tutorial
1Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 Canada. susan.lederman@queensu.ca
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|October 6, 2009
Summary
This tutorial introduces human haptics, exploring the sense of touch through peripheral receptors and perception channels. It covers object properties, spatial layout, and emerging topics like affective touch and neural plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Sensory Perception
- Haptics
Background:
- The sense of touch is crucial for interaction with the environment.
- Human haptics is a rapidly advancing interdisciplinary field.
- Understanding haptic perception requires knowledge of sensory receptors and processing pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an introduction to human haptics for graduate students and researchers.
- To review the peripheral sensory receptors involved in touch.
- To describe the 'what' and 'where' channels of haptic perception.
Main Methods:
- Review of peripheral sensory receptors (skin, muscles, tendons, joints).
- Description of research on 'what' channels (object/surface properties).
- Description of research on 'where' channels (spatial layout perception).
Main Results:
- Haptic perception involves distinct pathways for object properties and spatial information.
- Peripheral receptors provide the foundational input for touch sensation.
- The field integrates diverse research areas including sensory integration and plasticity.
Conclusions:
- Human haptics is a complex field integrating sensory input and cognitive processing.
- Further research is needed in areas like vision-touch interaction and affective touch.
- Applications of haptic research span various domains, including robotics and virtual reality.
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