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Tactition
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since May 2006. |
Tactition is the sense of pressure perception.
In the skin there are different receptors responsible for the detection of light against heavy pressure, as well as brief against sustained pressure. There are also distinct receptors that detect pressure in the visceral organs, such as that caused by a full stomach, and endocrinal receptors that cause the feeling of "tension", such as that associated with anxiety or excessive caffeine consumption.
People who are blind or have low vision use a special white cane to feel obstacles, as well as the curbs when crossing a street, etc.; thus it "lengthens" one arm. Tactile paving is also used to assist these people.
This definition is the one that differs the most from the Aristotelian model, as it specifically excludes the perception of pain and temperature (classified separately). Even within the limited field of "pressure" there is still disagreement as to how many distinct senses there actually are. See also Touch.