Heart Rate Response to Touch1

Vm, Drescher; Wh, Gantt; We, Whitehead

doi:10.1097/00006842-198011000-00004

Cited by 53 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In both of our subjects, heart rate deceleration was more dramatic while receiving grooming than in matched control periods. Interestingly, heart rate effects that are similar to those of allogrooming have also been found for petting or gentle touching by human experimenters in horses, rhesus macaques, and humans (Drescher, Gantt, & Whitehead, 1980;Drescher, Hayhurst, Whitehead, & Joseph, 1982;Feh & De Mazieres, 1993).…”

Section: Allogrooming and Tension Reductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Heart rate responses to social interactions in free-moving rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): A pilot study.

Aureli

Preston²,

Waal³

1999

Journal of Comparative Psychology

298

200

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Heart rate telemetry was explored as a means to access animal emotion during social interactions under naturalistic conditions. Heart rates of 2 middle-ranking adult females living in a large group of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatto) were recorded along with their behavior. Heart rate changes during 2 types of interactions were investigated, while controlling for the effects of posture and activity. The risk of aggression associated with the approach of a dominant individual was expected to provoke anxiety in the approachee. This prediction was supported by the heart rate increase after such an approach. No increase was found when the approacher was a kin or a subordinate individual. The tension-reduction function of allogrooming was also supported. Heart rate decelerated faster during the receipt of grooming than in matched control periods.Group-living primates engage in a great variety of interactions with each other, the meaning and significance of which is not always clear to the human observer. Is being in proximity with a dominant individual of different consequence man being in proximity with a subordinate? Can allogrooming be a "service" in the sense that it creates physiological and psychological well-being in the recipient? Answers to such questions may greatly advance our understanding of how primate societies operate on the emotional level (i.e., how various social interactions are experienced by the participants and how such experiences in turn influence subsequent behavior).Animal emotion has been mostly ignored as a research topic because of its presumed subjectivity (Panksepp, 1989). Recent perspectives in the animal and human literatures have reflected a desire to study emotion as a mediator between the perception of the social and physical environment and behavioral responses (for animal examples, see

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Section: Allogrooming and Tension Reductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Heart rate responses to social interactions in free-moving rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): A pilot study.

Aureli

Preston²,

Waal³

1999

Journal of Comparative Psychology

298

200

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Some literature namely suggests that relatively extensive touching actions such as hugs or massages (contact area) or holding hands (duration) can decrease (physiological) stress responses (e.g., Grewen et al, 2003;Coan et al, 2006;Ditzen et al, 2007). On the other hand, it is claimed that briefly touching one's arm, or providing a supportive pat on the back (e.g., Whitcher and Fisher, 1979;Drescher et al, 1980) can already decrease stress. The duration and contact area may thus influence the responses to a human touch, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood (Field, 2010;van Erp and Toet, 2015).…”

Section: Stress Responses and Stimuli Aversion (H1 And H2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Affective and Behavioral Responses to Robot-Initiated Social Touch: Toward Understanding the Opportunities and Limitations of Physical Contact in Human–Robot Interaction

Willemse

Toet²,

Erp

2017

Front. ICT

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Social touch forms an important aspect of the human non-verbal communication repertoire, but is often overlooked in human-robot interaction. In this study, we investigated whether robot-initiated touches can induce physiological, emotional, and behavioral responses similar to those reported for human touches. Thirty-nine participants were invited to watch a scary movie together with a robot that spoke soothing words. In the Touch condition, these words were accompanied by a touch on the shoulder. We hypothesized that this touch-as compared with no touch-could (H1) attenuate physiological [heart rate (variability), skin conductance, cortisol, and respiration rate] and subjective stress responses that were caused by the movie. Moreover, we expected that a touch could (H2) decrease aversion toward the movie, (H3) increase positive perceptions of the robot (e.g., its appearance and one's attitude toward it), and (H4) increase compliance to the robot's request to make a monetary donation. Although the movie did increase arousal as intended, none of the hypotheses could be confirmed. Our findings suggest that merely simulating a human touching action with the robot's limbs is insufficient to elicit physiological, emotional, and behavioral responses in this specific context and with this amount of participants. To inform future research on the opportunities and limitations of robot-initiated touch, we reflect on our methodology and identify dimensions that may play a role in physical human-robot interactions: e.g., the robot's touching behavior, its appearance and behavior, the user's personality, the body location where the touch is applied, and the (social) context of the interaction. Social touch can only become an integral and effective part of a robot's non-verbal communication repertoire, when we better understand if, and under which boundary conditions such touches can elicit responses in humans.

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“…This indicates the direct link between skin stimulation and physiological processes, a link that is preserved later in life. For instance, gentle stroking touch can lower heart rate and blood pressure (Grewen et al 2003), increase transient sympathetic reflexes and increase pain thresholds (Drescher et al 1980;Uvnäs-Moberg 1997), and affect the secretion of stress hormones (Whitcher and Fisher 1979;Shermer 2004;Ditzen et al 2007). Women holding their partner's hand showed attenuated threat-related brain activity in response to mild electric shocks (Coan et al 2006) and reported less pain in a cold pressor task (Master et al 2009).…”

Section: Touch In Social Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Touch in Humanâ€“Computer Interaction

Erp

Toet²

2015

Front. Digit. Humanit.

144

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Touch is our primary non-verbal communication channel for conveying intimate emotions and as such essential for our physical and emotional wellbeing. In our digital age, human social interaction is often mediated. However, even though there is increasing evidence that mediated touch affords affective communication, current communication systems (such as videoconferencing) still do not support communication through the sense of touch. As a result, mediated communication does not provide the intense affective experience of co-located communication. The need for ICT mediated or generated touch as an intuitive way of social communication is even further emphasized by the growing interest in the use of touch-enabled agents and robots for healthcare, teaching, and telepresence applications. Here, we review the important role of social touch in our daily life and the available evidence that affective touch can be mediated reliably between humans and between humans and digital agents. We base our observations on evidence from psychology, computer science, sociology, and neuroscience with focus on the first two. Our review shows that mediated affective touch can modulate physiological responses, increase trust and affection, help to establish bonds between humans and avatars or robots, and initiate pro-social behavior. We argue that ICT mediated or generated social touch can (a) intensify the perceived social presence of remote communication partners and (b) enable computer systems to more effectively convey affective information. However, this research field on the crossroads of ICT and psychology is still embryonic and we identify several topics that can help to mature the field in the following areas: establishing an overarching theoretical framework, employing better research methodologies, developing basic social touch building blocks, and solving specific ICT challenges.

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Heart Rate Response to Touch1

Cited by 53 publications

References 6 publications

Heart rate responses to social interactions in free-moving rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): A pilot study.

Heart rate responses to social interactions in free-moving rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): A pilot study.

Affective and Behavioral Responses to Robot-Initiated Social Touch: Toward Understanding the Opportunities and Limitations of Physical Contact in Human–Robot Interaction

Social Touch in Humanâ€“Computer Interaction

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