GAC013 Assessment Event 1: Scientific Report.
Sense of touch differs on
different fingers.
Student’s Name: Kim Kyu Ri
Student ID#:
Teacher: Daniel Choi
Due Date:
Word Count: 1416
Question: Does our sense of touch differ in different parts of the body?
Abstract:
This experiment is about finding a sense of touch that differs on different five fingers of the right hand.
The respondents of this hypothesis was people use the thumb and fore finger most frequently among
the five fingers so the sensitivity of those two fingers was better than other fingers. The experiment
was conducted by 20 subjects who are classmates. The method was done by poking the five fingers
each with a tip of the ball point pen and write down the numbers 1 to 5 each. All subjects should
express the pain or intensity that they felt from the pen where 1 is just a light pressure while number 5
is the intense pain. The result was reverse from the hypothesis. The thumb was the least sensitive
finger and the ring finger was the most sensitive finger among five fingers. The reason of this result is
when the fingers exposed to the heat, cold and pressure, the more frequent they exposed to those
circumstances the fingers become duller, because the callus around the fingers gets thicker to protect
the fingers. Likewise, the Merkel cell is a nerve cell that transforms the information to the brain about
the sense. In big fingers those nerve cells are scattered around but in small finger such as the little
finger, the nerve cell is condensed. If this experiment was conducted by a machine which provides
same amount of pressure in an exact time for one second to the fingertip the result will be more
accurate.
1.0
Instruction
In our body, there are many nerve cells which function as pain receptors. Nerve cells help us to feel
the temperature, pain and pressure. Without those cells we don’t know whether we get burn or
bleeding. The aim of this research is to find the different degree of pain on different fingers. The
subjects were different five fingers. Those have different size and different numbers of pain receptors
each. The hypotheses were that the Little Finger which is most small, thin and weak finger is the least
sensitive among five fingers. Reversely, the forefinger which people use most frequently is the most
sensitive among five fingers. This experiment was designed to know the hypothesis, the more
frequent we use the finger, the more sensitive of the finger will develop and the lesser we use the
finger, the lesser sensitive of the finger will not develop or regress.
2.0
Methods and Materials
Materials:
-One ball point pen
-Paper to write down the numbers which the subjects said.
-stopwatch
Methods:
1. Read the assessment paper thoroughly and understand the terms.
2. Choose where to poke. (Right hand five fingers.)
3. Scale the sensitivity 1 to 5.
4. Choose a tool to poke the body. (tip of the ballpoint pen)
5. Gather all 20 class mates in one classroom and make them don’t go out until the experiment
is done.
6. Start the experiment on the 20 classmates. Poke their finger about one second each.
7. Poke all five fingers at once each and ask them to express how much pain they feel number 1
to 5.
8. Write down all the results on the research paper.
9.
Finish the experiment in a one hour and a half minute.
10. Calculate the total number of the results.
11. Calculate the average number of the result of sensitivity.
12. Make the charts and graphs to see the results clearly.
13. Check all the information that I researched and write an outline of scientific investigation
report.
This experiment was conducted to 20 respondents regardless of gender between 19 and 25 years of
age. To conduct this experiment, subjects are 20 respondents with their five different fingers Thumb,
Fore Finger, Middle Finger, the Ring Finger and the Little Finger of right hand. The tool of this
experiment is tip of the ballpoint pen. The method was with a ballpoint pen, poke the fingers one by
one at one second each. After poking all five fingers ask to subjects express how much pain they feel
with the scale of 1 to 5. Number five is the intense pain and 1 was just feeling of the poke without
pain. The data was collected into tables and analyzed with graphs and other website resources related
to the sense of touch.
3.0
Results and findings.
The result was different from the hypotheses. The difference between the hypotheses and the result
can be found in Appendix 1&2 which shows first and second trial of this experiment. The result of
this experiment was the ring finger is the most sensitive finger. It goes through the two trials. At the
first trial the average number was 3.10 and the second trial was 3.45. The second sensitive finger was
the little finger, first trial was 3.10 and the second trial was 3.15. The least sensitive was a thumb
which was in hypothesis expected as the second sensitive finger among five fingers. At first trial the
average number was 2.0 and at the second trial it was only 1.9. Among 20 respondents nine students
stated the thumb as a point 1 which means no pain only felt the pressure of a pen. In conclusion, the
most sensitive finger was not a forefinger or a thumb, the ring finger and the little finger were the
most sensitive.
4.0
Discussion
The result from this experiment didn’t confirm the hypothesis. The hypotheses were the forefinger is
the most sensitive finger and the thumb was the second sensitive finger. The reason why is the
researcher presume that when people use their finger more frequently, than their sense of touch will
get more sensitive, which it develops its ability of sense. That’s why the hypothesis is the forefinger
and the thumb which people use most frequently are the most sensitive to detect the hot, cold and pain
in order to protect our body from outside environment by perceiving the risks quickly and run away
from it. However, the result was totally different from the hypotheses. The reason why is, when
people touch the hot or cold things by those two fingers more frequently than other fingers so the
fingers get used to those external factors which makes hurt. Just like mothers can touch hot things
better than their daughters because mothers have more experience in cooking and had many chances
to expose to the heat or cold and get a cut more than their daughters so their skin of the hand becomes
thick and strong. That is the reason why thumb and index finger is less sensitive than other fingers.
Also, in the experiment of McMaster University in Canada and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh
conducted, they draw the conclusion that smaller fingers can sense the objects in greater detail than
larger-sized fingers. The reason is because of the skin-deep Merkel cells. Merkel cell is the cells
which are located next to nerves that transmit the information about the sense to the brain (Stein). This
cell is scattered all around our body especially in fingertips and the lips (Stein). So the conductors
closely observe the finger tips to find out what are the relations between size of the finger and the
sense we feel. They found out that in large fingers the Merkel cells were spaced farther apart
(Goldreich). That’s why people who have big fingers are less sensitive than other people who have
small fingers. As a result, we can draw the result from this. The thumb is the biggest finger among the
five fingers and the Markel cells are spaced farther apart that’s why the thumb is the least sensitive
finger (Goldreich) among five fingers.
5.0
Conclusion & Recommendations
Conclusions
The fingers and the sense of touch have a relation with how many receptors in the skin of the fingers
which perceive sensations such as pressure, vibrations and textures. According to this experiment, the
thumb and the index finger which are most frequently used are less sensitive than other fingers. This
result can be applied to our life. For example when making the gloves, oven gloves, baseball gloves or
any other kinds of gloves, for other sensitive three fingers make that part thicker and warmer to
protect from heat, cold or pressure.
Recommendations
1) If 20 subjects are similar height and weight the result will be more accurate.
2) If 20 subjects wore same clothes provided by the experimenter.
3) If poke the fingers with the tip of the ball point pen not by hand by a machine which provide
exact same amount of pressure, the experiment will be more accurate.
Appendice1
sense of touch first trial(average)
the Little Finger
the Ring Finger
Middle Finger
Fore Finger
Thumb
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
Table1 data from pocking 20 students first trial.
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
sense of touch first trial(average)
Appendice2
sense of touch second trial(average)
the Little Finger
the Ring Finger
Middle Finger
Fore Finger
Thumb
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
Table2 data from pocking 20 students second trial.
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
sense of touch second…
Appendice3
Experiment First Trial (with the point of the pen)
Thumb
subject1
subject2
subject3
subject4
subject5
subject6
subject7
subject8
subject9
subject10
subject11
subject12
subject13
subject14
subject15
subject16
subject17
subject18
subject19
subject20
Total
Average
1
2
3
2
5
1
3
1
2
1
1
4
3
2
1
1
1
5
1
2
42
2.00
Fore Finger Middle Finger the Ring Finger the Little Finger
3
2
5
4
2
1
2
4
4
5
3
2
3
5
4
1
4
3
1
5
2
3
4
5
2
1
4
5
2
3
4
5
2
2
2
2
2
4
3
5
1
1
2
3
2
5
3
1
3
4
2
1
2
3
5
4
2
3
5
4
1
3
5
2
1
1
2
2
1
2
3
4
3
3
2
3
2
2
4
3
44
56
65
65
2.10
2.67
3.10
3.10
Appendice4
Experiment Second Trial (with the point of the pen)
Thumb
subject1
subject2
subject3
subject4
subject5
subject6
subject7
subject8
subject9
subject10
subject11
subject12
subject13
subject14
subject15
subject16
subject17
subject18
subject19
subject20
Total
Average
Fore Finger
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
1
2
1
1
3
3
3
2
1
1
5
1
1
38
1.90
3
1
4
2
3
2
2
1
2
2
1
2
3
3
2
1
1
1
3
1
40
2.00
Middle Finger
2
5
5
5
3
3
1
3
2
3
1
5
4
2
2
3
1
1
3
2
56
2.80
the Ring Finger the Little Finger
4
5
5
4
5
2
4
1
3
2
4
5
4
5
4
5
2
2
3
5
2
3
3
1
2
1
1
5
5
4
5
2
3
2
4
4
2
2
4
3
69
63
3.45
3.15
Appendice5
References
Goldreich Daniel. “Small Fingers More Touch Sensitive.” Phys.Org. Inside Science News, 16
Dec 2009. Web. 7 July 2012.
“Sense of Touch.” Home Training Tools. Home Training Tools, 2012. Web. 7 July 2012.
Stein Jeannine, “Study: Small fingers a touch more sensitive.” Chicago Tribune. Chicago
Tribune, 21 Dec 2009. Web. 7 July 2012.