Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

36.3K
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.
36.3K
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision01:15

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

453
Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
453
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

2.6K
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...
2.6K
Factors Affecting Perception01:25

Factors Affecting Perception

1.4K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
1.4K
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

704
Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...
704
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

4.3K
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...
4.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

How the characteristics of a virtual environment affects the perception of travel distance through it.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Audio-Visual Integration in 3D Space Near the Body.

Multisensory research·2025
Same author

Head engagement during visuomotor tracking is determined by postural challenges and aging.

Journal of neurophysiology·2025
Same author

Characterizing SEPs from Pacinian-targeted vibrations.

Journal of neurophysiology·2025
Same author

The effect of vection on the use of optic flow cues.

Royal Society open science·2025
Same author

Precision and temporal dynamics in heading perception assessed by continuous psychophysics.

PloS one·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2025

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

2.8K

Haptic size perception is influenced by body and object orientation.

M McManus1, L R Harris2, K Fiehler3

  • 1Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany. Meaghan.McManus@psychol.uni-giessen.de.

Scientific Reports
|April 23, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Body posture significantly affects haptic size perception. Changes in perceived rod length occurred when posture and rod orientation relative to gravity were altered, suggesting vestibular system involvement.

Keywords:
Body tiltGravityHaptic size perceptionMultisensory integrationPostureSpatial representationVestibular

More Related Videos

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
05:43

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

5.4K
Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test HASTe
07:54

Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test HASTe

Published on: September 8, 2015

9.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2025

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

2.8K
Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
05:43

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

5.4K
Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test HASTe
07:54

Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test HASTe

Published on: September 8, 2015

9.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Perception
  • Vestibular System

Background:

  • Body orientation influences visual size perception, linked to the vestibular system's spatial representation.
  • The role of body posture in haptic (touch-based) size perception remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how changes in body posture affect haptic size perception.
  • To determine if the vestibular system's encoding of space relative to gravity impacts tactile size estimation.

Main Methods:

  • Blindfolded participants estimated and adjusted the length of a rod.
  • Participants performed tasks in consistent postures (standing, supine) and after changing postures.
  • Rod orientation relative to gravity was manipulated independently of body posture.

Main Results:

  • Haptic size perception changed after participants shifted between standing and supine postures.
  • This change was observed only when the rod's orientation relative to gravity also changed.
  • No significant change in haptic perception occurred when rod orientation remained constant despite posture change.

Conclusions:

  • Body posture influences haptic size perception, similar to visual perception.
  • The vestibular system likely contributes to spatial encoding relative to gravity, affecting tactile size judgments.
  • Findings suggest a gravity-dependent mechanism underlying both visual and haptic spatial awareness.