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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/13413
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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.advisor | Goldreich, Daniel | en_US |
dc.contributor.advisor | Gillespie, Deda | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Peters, Ryan M. | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2014-06-18T17:03:49Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2014-06-18T17:03:49Z | - |
dc.date.created | 2013-09-17 | en_US |
dc.date.issued | 2013-10 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | opendissertations/8234 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | 9287 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | 4596308 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/13413 | - |
dc.description.abstract | <p>Measurement of human tactile spatial acuity – the ability to perceive the</p> <p>fine spatial structure of surfaces contacting our fingertips – provides a valuable</p> <p>tool for probing both the peripheral and central nervous system. However,</p> <p>measures of tactile spatial acuity have long been plagued by a prodigious amount</p> <p>of variability present between individuals in their sense of touch. Previously</p> <p>proposed sources of variability include sex, and age; here we propose a novel</p> <p>source of variability – fingertip size. Building upon anatomical research, we</p> <p>hypothesize that mechanoreceptors are more sparsely distributed in larger fingers.</p> <p>In this thesis, I provide empirical and theoretical support for the hypothesis</p> <p>that fingertip growth from childhood into adulthood sets up an apparent sex</p> <p>difference in human tactile spatial acuity during young adulthood (Chapter 2), and</p> <p>also predicts changes in acuity more strongly than does age over development</p> <p>(Chapter 3). To further understand how fingertip size could limit an individual's</p> <p>tactile spatial acuity, we develop an ideal observer model using</p> <p>neurophysiological data collected by other labs (Chapter 4).</p> <p>In summary, this research provides support for a novel source of variability</p> <p>in the sense of touch: one that parsimoniously explains an apparent sex difference,</p> <p>and helps clarify the source of changes in tactile spatial acuity occurring with age</p> <p>during childhood.</p> | en_US |
dc.subject | somatosensory perception | en_US |
dc.subject | touch | en_US |
dc.subject | psychophysics | en_US |
dc.subject | cutaneous mechanoreceptors | en_US |
dc.subject | development | en_US |
dc.subject | computational neuroscience | en_US |
dc.subject | Behavioral Neurobiology | en_US |
dc.subject | Behavioral Neurobiology | en_US |
dc.title | TACTILE SPATIAL ACUITY FROM CHILDHOOD INTO ADULTHOOD | en_US |
dc.type | dissertation | en_US |
dc.contributor.department | Psychology | en_US |
dc.description.degree | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | en_US |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Size | Format | |
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fulltext.pdf | 5.94 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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