Name(s): Riley Angel Period:6

Sensational Skin!

Skin Sensitivity
Materials:
pen/pencil toothpick metric ruler

Procedure:
1. Have partner #1 close his/her eyes and give him/her a single toothpick.
2. With a pencil or pen, partner #2 should touch partners fingertip so as to make a visible mark
on the skin.
3. Have your partner try to touch the same point on his or her skin with the blunt end of the
toothpick that you touched with the pencil.
4. With the metric ruler, measure the distance between your mark and the point of the toothpick.
Write the cm distance difference in the data table.
5. Repeat 2 more times using points near, but not the same as the first point.
6. Repeat steps above on the following areas: palm, posterior hand, anterior forearm, posterior
neck, and posterior calf.
7. Record data in cm on table below. Switch roles and repeat steps. (Note: You will have to put 3
pieces of data in each of the text boxes for partners 1 and 2.)

Data Table:

Posterior Anterior
Fingertip Palm Posterior neck Posterior calf
hand forearm

2cm 1cm .5cm 1cm 1mm 3cm

Partner 1 .5cm 1.2cm 1mm 1.5cm Spot on 2cm
.2cm Spot on 1cm 1cm Spot on 1cm
Perfect(: Spot on 1cm 2mm Spot on 1cm
Partner 2 Spot on 1mm off 1mm 1.5cm Spot on 2cm
Spot on 2mm off Spot on 3.5cm Spot on 3cm
Average
2.7cm .8cm .7cm 1.7cm .1cm 2cm
Distance

Two-Point Determination
Materials:
index card 8 toothpicks metric ruler

Procedure:
1. Obtain 8 more toothpicks and an index card. Tape two toothpicks onto one side of the index
card so that their tips are 5 millimeters apart. Make sure that the tips of the toothpicks are
even with each other.
2. Using the same procedure, tape three pairs of toothpicks together on different edges of the
card so that the tips of the next pair are 10 millimeters apart, the third pair 15 millimeters, and
the fourth pair 20 millimeters apart. Do not tape the last toothpick from the previous part of the
lab.
3. The subject to be tested MUST have their EYES CLOSED.
 4. Now, choose one of the toothpick sets and touch the two points simultaneously to one of the
locations listed below, ask the subject if they felt one or two points.
5. Repeat with another set of toothpicks until all sets have been tested in all locations. Use
toothpick sets in RANDOM order. Use the same pressure on the toothpicks in all trials. If you
think they are guessing, check them by touching just one point.
6. Record in the table below a yes or no whether you determined the number of toothpicks
correctly on the body part.
7. Switch places and test your partner 2.

Data table (Partner 1):

1 toothpick 5mm 10 15 20
yes yes yes yes yes
Palm

yes yes yes yes yes

Lips

yes yes yes yes yes

Forearm

Posterior yes yes yes yes yes

Hand
Anterior yes yes yes yes yes
Thigh
Posterior yes yes yes yes yes
Calf

Data table (Partner 2):

1 toothpick 5mm 10 15 20
yes yes yes yes yes
Palm

yes yes yes yes yes

Lips

yes yes yes yes yes

Forearm

Posterior yes yes yes yes yes

Hand
Anterior yes yes yes yes yes
Thigh
Posterior yes yes yes yes yes
Calf

Questions:

1. What were the least and most sensitive areas tested for you and your partner?

We got most of them right, lips most sensitive and palm least sensitive
2. When your partner poked you, explain why you think you were less accurate in identifying the spot
on some body parts? (Dont just say I was less sensitivewhat does that mean?)

Some spots have less nerve receptors making it harder to tell if it was one or two pokes

3. Why do you suppose there is a difference in sensitivity in different body parts?

Some spots have less nerve receptors making it harder to tell if it was one or two pokes

Thermoreception
Materials:
3 styrofoam cups ice room temperature water hot water thermometer

Procedure:
1. You and your other group members will each receive 3 cups with hot water, ice water, and
room temperature water as well as a thermometer.
2. Use the thermometer to record the temperature of the hot water and write it in the space here.

Initial hot water temperature: 52

3. Put each pointer finger into the room temperature water at the same time. Does each finger
feels the same temperature? If not, what do you think could cause this?

4. Immediately, put one pointer finger into the hot water and one pointer finger into the cold
water. Keep fingers in the water for approximately one minute. Notice what happens to the
feeling of the water during that time.
5. Keeping your fingers in the two cups, have a group member record the temperature of the hot
water again and write it in the space here.

Hot water temperature after a minute: 52

6. Put both pointer fingers back into the room temperature water at the same time. Notice the
temperature that each finger feels even though they are in the same water.

Questions:
4. When you put your finger in the hot water, why did it feel like the water got cooler after a minute,
yet the actual temperature of the water stayed the same? Your brain adapted and stopped sending
signals so urgently

5. When you put your fingers back into the room temperature water, why did it feel like the water was
two different temperatures? Because two different fingers adapted to two different temperatures and it
took a few seconds for the brain to catch up.

6. Given the results of this experiment, do you feel your brain senses temperature as an absolute
value or as relative value? Explain. Relative value

7. Have you ever gone to a pool and checked the temperature of the water with your toe before
you jumped in? Did it feel the same when you plunged in? Often people are surprised when
the water feels much colder when they jump in than they initially felt with their toes. Why
do you think this happens? Yes and it did feel colder when I jumped in, this probably occurs because
we not have as many nerve receptors in our toes as we do in our whole body.

8. Why dont we have as many temperature receptors in the skin over our elbow versus our
lips? Im not sure why this is

9. What do you think would happen if we had the same density of receptors everywhere?
I think we would have sensory overload and want to kill ourselves because we would be too sensitive
10. What do you think would happen if our sensory receptors didnt adapt?
(adaptation: receptors stop communicating what they are sensing because stimulus doesnt change)

We would get annoyed and want to kill ourselves because we would constantly be aware of a change
in temperature