Title |
Physical Factors Influencing Pleasant Touch during Tactile Exploration
|
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Published in |
PLOS ONE, November 2013
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0079085 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Anne Klöcker, Michael Wiertlewski, Vincent Théate, Vincent Hayward, Jean-Louis Thonnard |
Abstract |
When scanning surfaces, humans perceive some of their physical attributes. These percepts are frequently accompanied by a sensation of (un)pleasantness. We therefore hypothesized that aspects of the mechanical activity induced by scanning surfaces with fingertips could be objectively associated with a pleasantness sensation. Previously, we developed a unidimensional measure of pleasantness, the Pleasant Touch Scale, quantifying the pleasantness level of 37 different materials. Findings of this study suggested that the sensation of pleasantness was influenced by the average magnitude of the frictional forces brought about by sliding the finger on the surface, and by the surface topography. In the present study, we correlated (i) characteristics of the fluctuations of frictional forces resulting from the interaction between the finger and the surface asperities as well as (ii) the average friction with the sensation of pleasantness. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 1 | 33% |
Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 2 | 67% |
Scientists | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Belgium | 2 | 2% |
Japan | 1 | <1% |
Sweden | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 114 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 38 | 32% |
Researcher | 14 | 12% |
Student > Master | 12 | 10% |
Student > Bachelor | 8 | 7% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 5% |
Other | 21 | 18% |
Unknown | 20 | 17% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Engineering | 25 | 21% |
Psychology | 17 | 14% |
Neuroscience | 14 | 12% |
Computer Science | 10 | 8% |
Materials Science | 6 | 5% |
Other | 19 | 16% |
Unknown | 28 | 24% |