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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 3, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

The Sensitive Period for Tactile Remapping Does Not Include Early Infancy.

Elena Azañón¹, Karla Camacho², Marta Morales³

¹Birkbeck, University of London.

Child Development

|April 29, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Early vision is essential for developing tactile spatial perception. A sensitive period for visual input, crucial for this development, does not include early infancy.

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Last Updated: Mar 3, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

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Published on: July 30, 2020

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms

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Published on: February 10, 2016

Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain

Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain

Published on: July 1, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Sensory Perception

Background:

Visual input during development is thought to be crucial for tactile spatial perception.
Individuals with late-onset blindness show impairments in tactile spatial tasks when limbs are crossed, unlike those congenitally blind.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence of a sensitive period for visual input in tactile spatial perception.
To determine if early visual experience is necessary for normal tactile spatial development.

Main Methods:

Tested tactile localization with arms crossed and uncrossed in children and a teenager with a history of early-onset cataracts and subsequent vision restoration.
Compared performance of visually impaired individuals with control groups matched for age.

Main Results:

Children (mean age 7.95) whose sight was restored within the first 5 months showed a tactile crossing effect similar to controls.
A teenager (age 17.38) whose sight was restored at age 7 did not exhibit a tactile crossing effect, unlike controls.

Conclusions:

A sensitive period for visual input's influence on tactile spatial perception exists.
This critical period for visual input does not extend to early infancy, suggesting later visual experience is key.