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Related Concept Videos

Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

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Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.
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Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

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The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
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Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

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The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the...
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Perception01:28

Perception

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Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
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Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

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The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
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Sensory Modalities01:15

Sensory Modalities

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Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
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Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

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The Development of Tactile Perception.

A J Bremner1, C Spence2

  • 1Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom.

Advances in Child Development and Behavior
|February 21, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Touch perception, crucial for self-awareness and social bonding, develops over the first postnatal months. This review highlights touch

Keywords:
Affective touchBody representationHapticsInfancyMultisensory developmentMultisensory processesObject perceptionPerceptual developmentProprioceptionSelfSpatial perceptionTactile developmentTouchVisual development

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A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS
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Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects
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Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
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Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

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A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS
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Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects
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Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory perception

Background:

  • Touch is the first sense to develop, forming the basis for self-perception and body awareness.
  • Haptic exploration via touch provides direct interaction with the physical world.
  • Tactile input plays a vital role in social bonding and interpersonal connection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the developmental trajectory of tactile perception in early life.
  • To emphasize the importance of touch in cognitive and social development.
  • To advocate for increased focus on tactile development in research.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on tactile perception in infants and adults.
  • Analysis of the interplay between touch and other sensory modalities (vision, audition).
  • Examination of the social functions of touch.

Main Results:

  • While some tactile skills show early competence, complex perceptual abilities mature over the initial months of postnatal life.
  • The development of touch is influenced by its integration with other senses.
  • Tactile perception is fundamental to social bonding and self-recognition.

Conclusions:

  • Adult-like tactile perception requires time to develop postnatally, influenced by multisensory integration.
  • Touch is foundational for cognitive and social development, impacting self-perception and interpersonal relationships.
  • Further research should prioritize the central role of touch in early perceptual development.