Designed to make research on touch understandable to those not specifically involved in tactile research, this book provides broad coverage of the field. It includes material on sensory physiology and psychophysics, thermal sensibility, pain, pattern participation, sensory aids, and tactile perception in blind people.

While the volume is important for researchers in the area of touch, it should also prove valuable to a broad audience of experimental and educational psychologists, and health professionals. The book should also be of interest to scientists in perception, cognition, and cognitive science, and can be used as a supplementary reader for courses in sensation and perception.

Morton A. Heller, William Schiff

Contents: M.A. Heller, Introduction. Part I:Sensory Phenomena.R. Cholewiak, A. Collins, Sensory and Physiological Bases of Touch. J.C. Stevens, Thermal Sensibility. G.B. Rollman, Pain Responsiveness. Part II:Development and Intermodal Relations.D.H. Warren, M.J. Rossano, Intermodality Relations: Vision and Touch. E.W. Bushnell, J.P. Boudreau, The Development of Haptic Perception During Infancy. Part III:Tactile Pattern Perception.S. Appelle, Haptic Perception of Form: Activity and Stimulus Attributes. C. Sherrick, Vibrotactile Pattern Perception: Some Findings and Applications. E. Foulke, Braille. Part IV:Tactile Perception in the Visually Impaired.M.A. Heller, Haptic Perception in Blind People. J.M. Kennedy, P. Gabias, A. Nicholls, Tactile Pictures. S. Millar, A Reverse Lag in the Recognition and Production of Tactual Drawings: Theoretical Implications for Haptic Coding. M.A. Heller, W. Schiff, Conclusions: The Future of Touch.