The Handbook of Touch: Neuroscience, Behavioral, and Health Perspectives / Edition 1

by Matthew Hertenstein PhD, Sandra Weiss PhD, DNSc, RN

Overview

This book is excellent in its coverage of neurobiological underpinnings through perception, measurement, and communication...a great resource for researchers and clinicians." Score: 94, 4 stars. —Doody's Medical Reviews

This is an expertly constructed volume, due mainly to an expert composition of authors for the individual chapters. Every chapter is like opening a door to a different laboratory, each examining a unique corner of the tactile research universe."—PsycCRITIQUES

...a solid, authoritative resource."—New Hampshire Nurses Association

Touch has received increased attention over the last few decades, with growing recognition of its profound import to all facets of life. The Handbook of Touch is the first authoritative, state-of-the-art resource for scientists, scholars, and students interested in the neurobehavioral foundations of touch and its many applications.

This text provides an in-depth overview of the conceptual and empirical scope of the field. Chapters are written by a cadre of internationally known experts on touch, representing an expansive breadth of knowledge from behavioral, health, and neuroscience disciplines.

Key Features:

• Integrates knowledge regarding the neurobiology of touch, covering the spectrum from skin physiology and somatosensory pathways to touch-related genes and proteins
• Synthesizes research about the neural processing and perception of touch
• Describes diverse methods for measuring touch behavior and human response to touch
• Discusses the role of touch in social communication, along with the influence of context and culture
• Presents cutting edge research that links touch to brain organization and plasticity, human development, and varied dimensions of health

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826121912
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/13/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	536
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Matthew J. Hertenstein, PhD is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of The Touch and Emotion Lab at DePauw University. Work conducted in his lab been featured nationally and internationally via a number of media outlets including NBC's Today Show, BBC Radio, The Economist, The Independent, ABC News, Parenting, the Canadian Broadcast Company, NPR, and the New York Times.

Sandra J. Weiss, PhD, DNSc is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Systems and the Robert C. & Delphine Wentland Eschbach Endowed Chair at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Weiss has studied the phenomenon of touch as a primary area of research for 30 years. Her work on touch has been covered by CNN, CBS and ABC as part of programs on 'The Senses', 'Discoveries in Medical Science', and 'Medical Advances.'

Table of Contents

Contributors

Preface

SECTION I THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF TOUCH

1. The Anatomy and Physiology of the Skin

2. Sensory Processes of Touch

3. The Molecular and Genetic Basis of Touch

4. Brain Plasticity and Touch

SECTION II PERCEIVING THE PHYSICAL WORLD VIA TOUCH

5. Biomechanical and Neurophysiological Basis of the Processing of Tactile Stimuli

6. Hierarchical Neural Pathways of Haptic Object Processing

7. The Organization and Function of Somatosensory Cortex

8. Crossmodal Interactions in Tactile Perception

SECTION III MEASUREMENT OF TOUCH

9. Measurement of Tactile Response and Tactile Perception

10. Measurement of Touch Behavior

SECTION IV COMMUNICATION VIA TOUCH

11. Communicating Through Touch: Touching During Parent-Infant Interactions

12. The Communicative Functions of Touch in Adulthood

13. Gender and Status Patterns in Social Touch

14. Tactile Traditions: Cultural Differences and Similarities in Haptic Communication

SECTION V THE RELEVANCE OF TOUCH FOR DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH

15. Maternal Touch and the Developing Infant

16. Tactile Dysfunction in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

17. Touch in People Who Are Visually Impaired

18. Massage Therapy: A Review of Recent Research

19. Haptic Feedback: Technology and Medical Applications

Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book describes the various aspects of the sense of touch and discusses how it applies to understanding the world and communicating with others. It also explores gender and cultural differences.
Purpose: As the preface states, "the goals of this handbook are (1) to provide an authoritative and state-of-the-art resource for the field of touch; (2) to present a cross-disciplinary perspective on touch that will further dialogue and collaboration among related subfields; (3) to reflect and organize the broad diversity of scholarship within the field; and (4) to serve an expansive readership, including scholars, students, and applied professionals."
Audience: The book is intended for scholars, students, and applied professionals. Matthew J. Hertenstein is associate professor of psychology and director of the Touch and Emotion Lab at DePauw University, and Sandra J. Weiss is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who has studied touch for over 30 years. Contributors represent the U.S., Germany, Israel, Canada, and the U.K.
Features: The book begins by describing a neurobiological understanding of touch, providing a fairly extensive look at skin, the body's largest organ. The authors discuss somatosensory reception and molecular processes of touch, with an interesting look at genetic influences on touch. Next, the book shows how tactile stimuli are processed through the afferent system and haptic recognition. The authors note that the measurement of touch is important, and how both behavioral and neuropsychological methods can be used. Chapter 10, on the measurement of touch behavior, discusses parent-child touch and adult-adult touch, which is a fairly lengthy discussion in other chapters as well. The book ends with specific examples of the importance of touch, including maternal comforting of infants and tactile perception in visually impaired individuals. The figures and tables are helpful in clarifying the concepts.
Assessment: This book is excellent in its coverage of neurobiological underpinnings through perception, measurement, and communication. It is not an easy read without a basic foundation in neuroscience, but it is a great resource for researchers and clinicians.

Doody's Review Service