Vogels I M, Kappers A M, Koenderink J J
Helmholtz Institut, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Perception. 1997;26(1):101-17. doi: 10.1068/p260101.
In haptics, the perceived (phenomenal) flatness of a surface is strongly influenced by a previous surface which has been statically touched. The mechanisms underlying this haptic aftereffect of curved surfaces are investigated. It is shown that the representation of curvature abstracted from the sense of touch, ie a high-level representation, is not affected during the aftereffect. This is concluded because: (1) the aftereffect does not exhibit intermanual transfer; (2) the way in which two successive surfaces are touched can influence the magnitude of the aftereffect; and (3) it is not necessary to touch a surface-active muscular contraction can also result in a shift of the phenomenal flatness. Furthermore, it is suggested that the physiological process involved in the aftereffect is a central process, ie it is located in the brain but it is distinct for each hemisphere. This is supported by the findings that: (1) the decay rate of the aftereffect is not influenced by the degree of peripheral stimulation during the decay; and (2) the aftereffect does not transfer from the adapted hand to the unadapted hand.
在触觉方面，一个表面所感知到的（现象学上的）平整度会受到先前静态触摸过的表面的强烈影响。本文对曲面触觉后效背后的机制进行了研究。结果表明，从触觉中提取的曲率表征，即一种高级表征，在触觉后效期间并未受到影响。得出这一结论的原因如下：（1）触觉后效不表现出双手间的转移；（2）连续触摸两个表面的方式会影响触觉后效的大小；（3）触摸一个表面并非必要——主动的肌肉收缩也会导致现象学平整度的偏移。此外，研究还表明，触觉后效所涉及的生理过程是一个中枢过程，也就是说，它位于大脑中，但每个半球的情况有所不同。这一观点得到了以下研究结果的支持：（1）触觉后效的衰减率不受衰减期间外周刺激程度的影响；（2）触觉后效不会从适应的手转移到未适应的手。
