Psychology Lesson 2.04 Study Guide
2.04: Fun touch lab. Again, the blindfold makes it very interesting. Make sure to record your
measurements careful for both subjects. What did you find out about your "sensitive" spots?
2.04: (Yep, there are two.) This one is a quiz. Make sure you have completed BOTH 2.03 and 2.04 labs
FIRST. There are essay questions in the quiz that have to do with your lab results. I cannot give you
points on the essay if you haven't turned those in.
Be sure to write "one or more paragraphs" for your last question!
Some people are nearsighted (called myopia) which means the person cannot focus on objects that are
far away. The shape of the eye is refracting light and therefore the person is not able to see objects that
are in the distance. However, a nearsighted person can focus upon objects close to them without
difficulty. The reason for nearsightedness is either a bulging cornea or an elongated eyeball that does
not allow the image to reach the retina. To correct nearsightedness, a person must wear glasses or
contact lenses with diverting lenses to help strengthen the muscle. The glasses or contact lenses create
a refraction of the light and allow the person to view their environment completely.
The opposite condition, farsightedness (or hyperopia), is the eye’s inability to focus on objects that are
close or nearby. The cause of farsightedness is due to the muscle in the eye called the ciliary. The
farsighted person cannot focus on a close image. The image gets seen past the retina which distorts or
blurs the image. The farsighted person is fitted with glasses or contact lenses that are converging. These
converging lenses allow the person to focus upon images in their environment completely.
Myopia A condition when the shape of the eye is refracting light and therefore the person is not able to
see objects that are in the distance.
Cornea Clear window of the eye that enables the eye to focus and transmit light into the eye.
Retina The lining of the inner layer of the eyeball that is connected by the optic nerve to the brain.
Diverting A turning aside of your course or attention.
Refraction Bending of light so the image can be focused on the retina.
Hyperopia The image gets seen past the retina which distorts or blurs the image.
Ciliary Relating to, or being the annular suspension of the lens of the eye.
Converging The image comes together making the image more clear as it meets the retina.
Touch
 The largest organ in your body is your epidermis.
 It weighs nearly 10–15% of your body weight. So, if you weigh 130 pounds, your skin would
be approximately 13 pounds of this weight!
 The nerve endings of your skin can sense temperature and sensitivity (pain, pressure, etc.).
 The ability to be able to feel pain is a security check. If you were to touch the top of a hot
stove, you would feel the heat or maybe even get burned. However, you will not leave your
hand there to burn your entire body. This burning awareness is signaled to the brain and the
brain tells the hand "Please move your hand."
 Your sense of touch also permits you to feel the difference in textures. You know a rabbit is
soft, a car is hard, and an unshaven face is stubbly.
 It is interesting to see which parts of the body are the most sensitive.
Epidermis - The outermost layer of the skin.
02.04 Seeing And Feeling: Even More Sensational!
Assessment:
 02.04 Seeing and Feeling: Even more sensational! - Students submit completed lab report.
 02.04 Sensational! - Exam - 3 auto-graded questions
Sensory Lab
Introduction:
For this lab you will learn about the areas on the human body that are sensitive and the areas
that are not so sensitive. Gather your materials and follow the step-by-step directions to
complete this lab. Good luck!
Materials:
 Toothpicks (two per person)
 Ruler
 Blindfold (optional)
Procedures:
1. Use the Lab Report to record your experiment.
2. Once you have completed performing the experiment on your "lab rat," reverse roles
and ask your friend or relative to follow the same directions to perform the
experiment on you
3. Open the Touch Lab Chart.
– Directions for the Touch Lab:
A. Place the toothpicks into one of your hands. Hold them so they are perfectly even
with about one-inch space between them.
B. With your “lab rat” blindfolded or closing their eyes, place the two, perfectly even
toothpicks, one-inch apart onto the first body part as indicated on the “touch lab
chart”.
C. Ask the subject, “Do you feel one toothpick or two?”
If their response is two, move the toothpicks closer together, centimeter by
centimeter, until your subject is unable to discriminate between the two points of
pressure.
In other words, when your subject reports that there is only “one” toothpick and you
have two toothpicks in your hand, they have reached the point of discrimination. At
this point, measure the distance between the two toothpicks and record this data on
your “touch lab chart”.
D. Continue step C until you complete the chart.
E. Switch roles with your subject and you will now become the “lab rat”.
Note: the smaller the distance between the toothpicks, the more sensitive the area on the
body.
Lab Report
Your lab reports should include the following. You may either copy and paste this table into a word
processing program or print the page to take your lab notes.
Lab Reporting Items
Your Lab Notes:
Title: What is the title of your lab or experiment?
Purpose: Tell the reader why this study was
performed. And what is the purpose of your
study/experiment.
Materials and methods: The materials you
used and the way in which you used these
materials.
Discussion of results: Here is where you will
report your findings and what you learned from
this lab or experiment.
Works cited: If you consulted with any sources,
you would list them here.
Touch Lab Chart
Body Part
Back of neck
Back of hand
Palm of hand
Ear lobe
Tip of Nose
Top of arm (biceps area)
Cheek
Your Subject's Response
Your Response
Knee
Tip of thumb
Tip of pointer finger
Lips
Sensory Lab Grading Rubric
Requirements:
Possible
Points:
Completed Lab Report.
10
For Subject A: (Name the family member or friend)
Completed Touch Lab chart
20
For Subject B: (Student)
Completed Touch Lab chart
20