The objective of this research will be to investigate the psychological factors influencing responses to touch, with a focus on therapeutic contexts. We will examine how providing control over stimulus-irrelevant variables related either to the source or the self modulates the perception of touch among individuals with and without proclaimed dislike to touch.

Keywords: Perception, Evaluation, Touch, Therapy, Control

Background:

According to a recent large scale survey (Wellcome Trust, 2020, N= 40,000), 30% of respondents disliked being touched in social or affective contexts, and even more when it came to non-familiar individuals, including caregivers and therapists. Though receiving touch in therapeutic context counts in some respects as passive, the patient can accept or refuse the care. Is it possible to provide a heightened feeling of control in the patient not only over the occurrence but other dimensions of the event?

At this stage we are:
  • We are currently at the final phase of designing our project and are almost ready to start collecting our data.
Team
Lenka Gorman
Lenka Gorman

Project Lead

Ophelia Deroy
Ophelia Deroy

Collaborator

Merle Fairhurst
Merle Fairhurst

Collaborator

Hannah McGowan

Collaborator