Touch sensation perception includes three processes – physical, neurophysiological and psychological. Psychophysical relationships that bridge physical and psychological results have varied. Meanwhile, interactive effects of thermal‐tactile physical features have seldom been investigated. Therefore, this study aims to compare various hypothesized psychophysical relations, including monomode relations between single stimuli and single sensations, as well as multimode relations between multistimuli and sensory dimensions. Potential simultaneous effects from thermal‐tactile factors and their interactions are also explored. This study uses physical data, obtained from a simultaneous measurement instrument Fabric Touch Tester, and psychological data collected from over 200 subjects. The results imply that a universal psychophysical function relation can hardly be achieved. Different neural stimulation mechanisms seem to be better presented by dissimilar function relations. It is also found that thermal and tactile physical information can simultaneously affect all defined sensory dimensions – including smoothness, softness and warmth. Interaction effects from multistimuli are also concluded to be important predictors.
Practical Applications
Study of the relationship between psychological touch sensations and fabric physical properties has always been an attractive field in textile sensory research. Along with the increased demands on the touch comfort of clothing, precise quantitative characterization methods are eagerly needed in industry. A number of approaches have been proposed during past studies, including psychophysical laws and stepwise‐box‐linear regression. However, these resolutions focused on tactile properties and mechanical sensations only. Although the latest neurophysiological findings have enlarged the scope of thermal‐tactile properties, there is still a lack of investigation into interactive effects of both thermal and tactile properties. This work provides comparison studies on different types of psychophysical relations and particularly explores the interactive effects of multiple physical aspects. Proposed psychophysical relations are concluded with satisfied correlation coefficients to the subjective sensations. Such interactive multimode psychophysical relations could be used to advance current prediction models with stronger connections to neurophysiological perception mechanisms.
Integrated assessment tasks have been increasingly used in language tests, however the underlying constructs of integrated tasks remain elusive. This study aimed to improve understanding of the construct of integrated writing tasks in Chinese Language examinations in Hong Kong by looking at the language competences measured in the Listening-Reading-Writing Task and how they relate to the outcome of the Independent Listening Task. The performance of 226 native Chinese Secondary Five students on both tasks were subject to correlation analysis, joint factor analysis and regression analysis. It was found that the students' performance in the Independent Listening Task and the Listening-Reading-Writing Task was statistically significantly correlated, however, the two tasks did not seem to have common factors as shown in the joint factor analysis. The indicators of elaboration, evaluation and creation in the Independent Listening Task were significantly correlated with multiple indicators in the Listening-Reading-Writing Task, and evaluation and creation together explained 8.9% of the variance in the total score of the Listening-Reading-Writing Task. The findings support the framework, i.e. the "four pillars" of integrated writing competence, applied in public examinations in Hong Kong. They also imply that the two types of writing tasks are complementary in the assessment of Chinese Language competence.
Physical stimuli from contacted objects are recorded by skin receptors and are transmitted to neural signals to the cerebrum to generate touch perceptions. Despite numerous studies having been conducted on the link between the physical properties of contacted objects and psychological sensations, factors besides the stimuli themselves have seldom been investigated. The contact method and acclimation to environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, could affect the functions of responsible receptors, which, in consequence, might affect the touch perception. This study is designed around a series of experiments involving 226 human subjects adapted to the climate environments of six East-Asia cities. The results revealed that the contact method affected the responses of smoothness sensation but not the stimuli discriminations. This agrees with the hypothesis that both the slowly adapting type I (SA1) fiber and the Pacinian afferent (PC) fiber are responsible for smoothness sensation. SA1 fibers can function through passive touch because of a superficial location in the dermis, while PC fibers, which are located deeper in the dermis, are triggered during active touching. The effect of contact method on softness sensation is not significant because the responsible receptor is the SA1 fiber. The effects of acclimation to temperature and relative humidity were also investigated. Positive relationships were found with smoothness perception and negative relationships were found with warmth perception. This suggests that acclimation to temperature and relative humidity can affect the receptor thresholds and, in consequence, affect the touch sensation.
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