Vibrotactile pattern identification in a multisensory display

Abstract

In multisensory cutaneous displays in which both tactile and thermal signals are presented, it is important to understand the perceptual interactions that can occur between the two modalities. Phenomena such as masking, facilitation and inhibition may occur that influence how multisensory inputs are processed. In the present experiment participants were required to identify vibrotactile patterns that varied in intensity and pulse duration while the skin was warmed, cooled or remained at a neutral temperature. The results indicate that the temperature of the skin influences the ability to identify vibrotactile patterns that are well above threshold. This thermal-tactile interaction occurred when the skin was warmed and assisted in the identification of vibrotactile stimuli that varied in intensity. In contrast, warming the skin appeared to impede identification of patterns whose pulse duration varied. These results suggest that the enhanced activity of cutaneous thermoreceptors during warming may facilitate the processing of amplitude-related properties of incoming signals from cutaneous mechanoreceptors.