Comparison of vibrotactile threshold and suprathreshold responses in men and women

Abstract

Vibrotactile thresholds were measured on the thenar eminence of 12 men and 12 women at 10 sinusoidal frequencies. No significant differences between the two groups were observed. Magnitude estimation and production procedures carried out with 6 men and 6 women from the same groups showed that women perceive suprathreshold vibration stimuli as more intense than do men, although women and men do not differ in their estimation of the length of lines.Differences in threshold sensrtrvity for men and women have been reported for several sense modalities. Auditory acuity, for instance, is about the same up to approximately age 50. During this period both sexes show a slight and gradual loss. Following age 50 men show an accelerated loss relative to women for frequencies of 3,000 Hz and above (Spoor, 1967). Corso (1963) states that the onset of presbycusis is more gradual and uniform for women, but that once started it is more rapid for women.Procacci, Zoppi, Maresca, and Romano (1974) report that women are more sensitive to pain than men throughout the age span. They showed also that pain thresholds in women are closely related to the menstrual cycle. Others report little if any differences in pain thresholds (Clark & Mehl, 1971). Sensitivity to odors has been shown to be more acute in women (Koelega, 1970; Koster, 1965;Schneider, 1967) and also to be related to the menstrual cycle (Koster, 1965;Le Magnen, 1953). The author was unable to find comparative studies between men and women regarding visual acuity.Women were found to be more sensitive to vibration than men by Goff, Rosner, Detre, and Kennard (1965), who also report a gradual loss of sensitivity for women with age beginning in the late teens. Men, on the other hand, were found to have stable thresholds to 45 years of age before sensitivity decreases. A number of studies, however, found no differences between men and women with respect to vibrotactile threshold measurements (Plumb & Meigs, 1961;Steinberg & Graber, 1963;Verrillo & Ecker, 1977).All of the studies relating to sensory functions and sex report threshold data. None have dealt with suprathreshold phenomena. The present investigation was undertaken to determine if differences exist be- tween men and women in their sensitivity to vibration and in their perceived magnitudes of suprathreshold stimuli. APPARATUS AND METHODThe subjects were seated with forearm and hand, palm down, resting on a rigid surface. The vibrator was located on an adjustable platform beneath the rigid surface with the 2.9-cm 2 contactor protruding through a hole in the surface. The gap between the contactor and the edge of the rigid surround was 1.0 mm. Before testing, the height of the vibrator was carefully adjusted so that the contactor pressed 1.0 mm into the skin of the thenar eminence. During testing, the sound of the vibrator was masked by narrowband noise centered at the test frequency and delivered through earphones.Vibrotactile detection thresholds were determined for 12 men and 12 women using a Bekesy automatic recording ...

Effects of gender differences on the subjective perceived intensity of steering wheel rotational vibration based on a multivariate regression model

“…These differences are most obvious at intensity levels above approximately 1.0 m/s 2 and at frequencies above approximately 20 Hz. This difference is partially supported by the results of Verrillo (1979) who found that vibratory stimuli at suprathreshold levels are felt more intensely by females than by males, and by those of Neely and Burström (2006) which suggest that females report higher levels of physical intensity and discomfort than males. Similar indications can also be found in the study of steering wheel vibration induced fatigue performed by Giacomin and Abrahams (2000), which found that females reported greater arm region discomfort than males, and by the questionnaire-based investigation of Giacomin and Screti (2005) which found that female drivers reported higher discomfort responses than male drivers for the hand-arm region.…”

Effects of the menstrual cycle on vibrotactile sensitivity

“…The finding that males and females differ in sensitivity to high-frequency vibration appears to be at odds with a report by Verrillo (1979), who found no sex difference in detection thresholds for vibration. In Verrillo's study, no attempt was made to test subjects at specific times of the menstrual cycle, and it may be that few, if any, of his subjects were tested during the premenstrual phase of the cycle when they would be most sensitive.…”

Stability of line-length estimates using the method of absolute magnitude estimation

“…A final analysis was performed to determine if there was a difference between the males and females of these groups in their estimation of line length. Verrillo (1979)reported that the perceived magnitude of a vibrotactile stimulus was greater for females than for males, but that no difference existed in the estimation of line length. Because time effects were not found in the present study, subjects were grouped according to sex from the 1-and 2-year groups.…”

“…The subjects in the second experiment were four males and five females and ranged in age from 20 to 50 years. No attempt was made to balance the groups with regard to age, because it had been shown that this variable had little effect on performance in the estimation of line length (M. Teghtsoonian & Beckwith, 1976;Verrillo, 1979Verrillo, , 1981Zwislocki & Goodman, 1980). All subjects had normal or corrected-to-normal vision.…”