Effect of stimulus duration on vibrotactile sensation magnitude

The method of magnitude estimation was used to determine the growth of vibrotactile sensation as a function of stimulus intensity at four burst durations. Measurements were made at a frequency of 250 Hz over the right thenar eminence of seven subjects. Results show that the resultant power functions grow slightly steeper as stimulus duration decreases and that vibrotactile sensation magnitude at all levels of intensity tested reaches a maximum at approximately 600 msec. The results are compared to previous research reports and discussed in terms of temporal summation theory.

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