Sense of touch
Sense of Touch/Feeling
The Skin Senses Consider the skin has remarkable versatility: It protects us against surface injury, holds in body fluids, and helps regulate body temperature. The skin also contains nerve endings that, when stimulated, produce sensations of touch, pain, warmth and cold. Like several other senses, these skin senses are connected to the somatosensory cortex located in the brain’s parietal lobes.
The Somatosensory Cortex
The skin’s sensitivity to stimulation varies tremendously over the body, depending in part on the number of receptors in each area. ( For example, we are ten times more accurate in sensing stimulation on our fingertips than stimulation on our backs). In general, our sensitivity is greatest where we need it most on our face, tongue, genital areas and hands. The sensory feedback from these parts of the body allows us to do certain tasks such as effective eating, speaking, and grasping.
The Sense of Touch, or Feeling
The sense of Touch, or Feeling, is regarded by psychologists as the elementary sense (the first sense) the one sense from which the others have evolved, and of which they are, in a way, an evolution. The sense of Touch, or Feeling, operates by means of certain nerves which have their endings in the outer covering or skin of the body, and also in the internal organism of the body. These nerves report to the mind their contact with outside objects; and, in some cases, certain changes of state or condition in the body itself. By means of this sense we are able to become aware of the size, form, and shape and delight of material objects; of their degree of hardness, roughness, elasticity, etc.; of their temperature; and of other physical characteristics by which we distinguish one material object from another by means of respective reaction to our sense of Touch or Feeling. By means of this sense we also become aware of changes of state or condition in our bodies, such as thirst,
The Skin Senses Consider the skin has remarkable versatility: It protects us against surface injury, holds in body fluids, and helps regulate body temperature. The skin also contains nerve endings that, when stimulated, produce sensations of touch, pain, warmth and cold. Like several other senses, these skin senses are connected to the somatosensory cortex located in the brain’s parietal lobes.
The Somatosensory Cortex
The skin’s sensitivity to stimulation varies tremendously over the body, depending in part on the number of receptors in each area. ( For example, we are ten times more accurate in sensing stimulation on our fingertips than stimulation on our backs). In general, our sensitivity is greatest where we need it most on our face, tongue, genital areas and hands. The sensory feedback from these parts of the body allows us to do certain tasks such as effective eating, speaking, and grasping.
The Sense of Touch, or Feeling
The sense of Touch, or Feeling, is regarded by psychologists as the elementary sense (the first sense) the one sense from which the others have evolved, and of which they are, in a way, an evolution. The sense of Touch, or Feeling, operates by means of certain nerves which have their endings in the outer covering or skin of the body, and also in the internal organism of the body. These nerves report to the mind their contact with outside objects; and, in some cases, certain changes of state or condition in the body itself. By means of this sense we are able to become aware of the size, form, and shape and delight of material objects; of their degree of hardness, roughness, elasticity, etc.; of their temperature; and of other physical characteristics by which we distinguish one material object from another by means of respective reaction to our sense of Touch or Feeling. By means of this sense we also become aware of changes of state or condition in our bodies, such as thirst,