title: Measures of tactual detection and temporal order resolution in congenitally deaf and normal-hearing adults.
abstract: To guide the development of tactile speech aids, tactual detection and temporal order discrimination by congenitally deaf and normal-hearing adults have been examined. Tactual detection thresholds for sinusoidal vibrations between 2 and 300 Hz were measured at the left thumb and index finger using an adaptive paradigm. Temporal onset- and offset-order discrimination were tested using stimuli of 50 Hz at the thumb and 250 Hz at the index finger, delivered asynchronously and varied independently in amplitude and duration. Mean detection thresholds for the deaf and normal-hearing groups did not differ significantly at any frequency tested. Temporal onset-order discrimination thresholds varied widely, particularly among congenitally deaf individuals, but no statistically significant difference was found between group means. Both experimental groups exhibited a broad range of discrimination thresholds for temporal offset-order, and mean thresholds did not differ significantly. On the whole, tactual offset-order thresholds were substantially higher than onset-order thresholds. Differences in the relative levels of paired stimuli systematically affected sensitivity to both onset- and offset-orders in most subjects. Differences in the relative durations of paired stimuli had little effect on onset-order discrimination, but had a robust effect on offset-order discrimination thresholds, which was consistent across all subjects.
authors.affiliation: Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Sensory Communication Group, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Moallem
authors.forename: Charlotte M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Louis D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Braida
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011601:Psychophysics; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013933:Thumb; D013997:Time Factors; D013998:Time Perception; D055698:Touch Perception; D014732:Vibration; D055815:Young Adult