Methods of Somatosensory Attenuation

Abstract

Self-generated touch feels less intense (and less ticklish) than an externally generated touch of the same intensity. Since the early 1970s, researchers in somatosensation sought to understand the origins and the principles of this phenomenon. This chapter will focus on two methods of studying the perceived intensity of self-generated touch in relation to externally generated touch: the force-matching task and the force-discrimination task. The relative merits of each method as well as their associated practical difficulties will be discussed.