TUTORIAL REVIEW Haptic perception: A tutorial

tem, mediated by two afferent subsystems, cutaneous and kinesthetic, that most typically involves active manual exploration (Lederman & Klatzky, 2009). Whereas vision and audition are recognized for providing highly precise spatial and temporal information, respectively, the haptic system is especially effective at processing the material characteristics of surfaces and objects. Here we concentrate on the behavioral research that has addressed the phenomenology and functionality of haptic perception. This excellent behavioral work stands on its own, although where directly appropriate we relate it to work in neuroscience (for more general references, consult, e.g., Kandel, Schwartz, & Jessell, 2000; Squire, 2009). Because this tutorial is necessarily brief, for certain topics we have also chosen to direct the reader to one or more review chapters or books that offer further detailed discussion and extensive bibliographies containing important original sources. The tutorial provides a comprehensive bibliography followed by a list of other suggested review articles, encyclopedia entries, and books about haptics and the sense of touch that the reader may wish to consult.