Differential discrimination of frequency of cutaneous mechanical vibration.

Abstract

MEASUREMENTS OF DIFFERENTIAL THRESHOLD (F) OF A CUTANEOUS MECHANICAL VIBRATORY STIMULUS ARE ACCURATE ONLY IF CONCOMITANT CHANGES IN SUBJECTIVE INTENSITY OF THE STIMULUS ARE ELIMINATED. IN THIS STUDY, CURVES OF EQUAL SUBJECTIVE INTENSITY WERE 1ST OBTAINED FROM 4 SS AT 2 INTENSITY LEVELS, 20 AND 35 DB. ABOVE THE ABSOLUTE THRESHOLD OF THE 100 CPS STANDARD. F WAS THEN MEASURED AT 25, 50, 100, 150, AND 200 CPS, ALL AMPLITUDES BEING WITHIN THE EQUAL INTENSITY CURVE OF THE PARTICULAR S. WITH INTENSITY CUES THUS ELIMINATED, F IS SMALL BELOW 100 CPS BUT THEN INCREASES MARKEDLY. IT IS LOWER AT THE HIGHER INTENSITY LEVEL. (19 REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)