Name: _______________________________________

Investigation: Two-Point Touch Discrimination Test

Background: Mechanoreceptors in the skin respond to touch, pressure, and

vibrations. Areas of the skin that have more mechanoreceptors are more sensitive
than other areas, which is why you might feel a mosquito land on your face, but
not notice one that is on your arm.

Question:​ Which areas of the skin are the most sensitive to touch?

Hypothesis:

Procedure:

1. Obtain a plastic compass and a ruler. The compass can be closed to where the points are
very close together or spread out so that the two points are farther away. You will use the
points of the compass to determine sensitivity. ​Caution: Compasses can be sharp, you do
not need to apply very much pressure.

2. Have your subject close their eyes or look away so that they cannot see the compass
touch the skin. Start with the wrist and place the two points of the compass as close
together as possible and touch the skin. Gradually spread the points apart and test the
subject until they note that they can feel TWO points. Use a ruler to measure the width in
millimeters and record that value in the data table.

3. Repeat this procedure for each of the areas on the data table for your first subject, then
switch so that you also have readings for a second subject.

Data Table

Two-Point Distance (mm)

Area of Body Subject 1 Subject 2

Wrist

Palm

Back of Hand

Thumb

Cheek

Back of Neck

Upper Arm
Discussion

1. Make a ​CLAIM​ about which part of the body you think is the most sensitive.

2. Provide a summary of ​EVIDENCE​ that supports this claim (from your data table). You
may also wish to consult other groups and examine data from the entire class.

3. Suggest ​REASONS​ for these results. Consider why it might be important for some areas to be
more sensitive than others.

4. Extension: A different type of receptor, a thermoreceptor, is responsible for detecting changes

in temperature. Design an experiment where you could determine which parts of the body are most
sensitive to temperature changes.