TY - JOUR
T1 - Computational and Psychophysical Experiments on the Pacinian Corpuscle's Ability to Discriminate Complex Stimuli
AU - Senkow, Tiffany Louisa
AU - Theis, Nicholas D.
AU - Quindlen-Hotek, Julia C.
AU - Barocas, Victor H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 IEEE.
PY - 2019/10/1
Y1 - 2019/10/1
N2 - Recognizing and discriminating vibrotactile stimuli is an essential function of the Pacinian corpuscle. This function has been studied at length in both a computational and an experimental setting, but the two approaches have rarely been compared, especially when the computational model has a high level of structural detail. In this paper, we explored whether the predictions of a multiscale, multiphysical computational model of the Pacinian corpuscle can predict the outcome of a corresponding psychophysical experiment. The discrimination test involved either two simple stimuli with frequency in the 160-500 Hz range, or two complex stimuli formed by combining the waveforms for a 100-Hz stimulus with a second stimulus in the 160-500 Hz range. The subjects' ability to distinguish between the simple stimuli increased as the frequency increased, a result consistent with the model predictions for the same stimuli. The model also predicted correctly that subjects would find the complex stimuli more difficult to distinguish than the simple ones and also that the discriminability of the complex stimuli would show no trend with frequency difference.
AB - Recognizing and discriminating vibrotactile stimuli is an essential function of the Pacinian corpuscle. This function has been studied at length in both a computational and an experimental setting, but the two approaches have rarely been compared, especially when the computational model has a high level of structural detail. In this paper, we explored whether the predictions of a multiscale, multiphysical computational model of the Pacinian corpuscle can predict the outcome of a corresponding psychophysical experiment. The discrimination test involved either two simple stimuli with frequency in the 160-500 Hz range, or two complex stimuli formed by combining the waveforms for a 100-Hz stimulus with a second stimulus in the 160-500 Hz range. The subjects' ability to distinguish between the simple stimuli increased as the frequency increased, a result consistent with the model predictions for the same stimuli. The model also predicted correctly that subjects would find the complex stimuli more difficult to distinguish than the simple ones and also that the discriminability of the complex stimuli would show no trend with frequency difference.
KW - Biomechanics
KW - Pacinian corpuscle
KW - perception and psychophysics
KW - vibrotactile perception.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064410811&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85064410811&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TOH.2019.2903500
DO - 10.1109/TOH.2019.2903500
M3 - Article
C2 - 30932849
AN - SCOPUS:85064410811
SN - 1939-1412
VL - 12
SP - 635
EP - 644
JO - IEEE Transactions on Haptics
JF - IEEE Transactions on Haptics
IS - 4
M1 - 8674607
ER -