ACTIVITY TITLE: TOUCHY! TOUCHY!


SUBJECT AREAS: Neuroscience, Recording and Analyzing Data


YOUR INVESTIGATION:


These humans! They need to do everything with their hands and fingers. Their brains have not evolved beyond the primal level as ours have. I manipulate matter with my mind, while they must rely on those long, skinny appendages extending from their arms. I must find out more about how sensitive these appendages are if I am ever to send back a comprehensive study to my homeworld of Beta Reticulae.

I will try 5 experiments to see how this sense of touch works. Then I will create a log of my studies to send to my fellow Reticulaens. I must take the form of a human and try these experiments with some younglings who won't suspect who I am.



QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOU:

1. What kind of "stimuli" affect the skin?
   
2. How do the receptors send messages to the brain?
   
3. Where are we more sensitive to touch?
   
4. What is the detection threshold?
   
5. Do humans vary in their sense of touch?
   
   
   
   

SITE TO SEARCH:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html



Activity created by Joan Berger
Internet Educational Consultant
jberger5@concentric.net fax (516) 826-0358