touching (physically feeling)
Let an agent explain touching, relay the science of touch, its social and developmental roles and norms of consent from neuroscience, psychology and legal sources with attribution, describe the named actions, route unwanted or abusive touching to support services and police, and distinguish touching from the sense of touch itself, massage therapy and contagion.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain touching, relay the science of touch, its social and developmental roles and norms of consent from neuroscience, psychology and legal sources with attribution, describe the named actions, route unwanted or abusive touching to support services and police, and distinguish touching from the sense of touch itself, massage therapy and contagion.
The act of making physical contact with a person, animal or object, using the hands or body, to sense, communicate, comfort or manipulate, including everyday actions such as tapping melons to judge ripeness, scratching an itch and dabbing, affectionate bodily contact and physical intimacy, and accidental touching; touch is perceived through the somatosensory system, is vital for infant development and social bonding, and touching another person requires consent, with unwanted sexual touching constituting harassment or assault.
What it is for: Sensing, communicating and interacting.
It can be explain science and social roles; relay consent norms; describe named actions; route abuse to support.
Distinguishing features
Physical contact
Sensory and social
Consent dependent
Culturally variable norms
What it looks like
Hands or bodies making contact with people or objects.
Physical character
touch receptors: Meissner, Pacinian, Merkel, Ruffini and C-tactile afferents list
Harlow monkey studies: 1950s note - contact comfort
Nobel Prize for touch receptors: 2021 year - Julius and Patapoutian
How it is recognised
Physical contact through touch
Tapping on melons, bodily contact, physical intimacy, dabbing, scratching, accidental touching
The sense of touch is the perceptual system; massage therapy is a profession; contagion is disease spread
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
uses -
requires - between people
is contrasted with - unwanted touching
In practice
Families and kinds
exploratory touch
affectionate touch
caregiving touch
professional touch such as clinical examination
accidental contact
unwanted touch
Standards and regulation
Laws on assault and sexual harassment
Professional guidance on touch in healthcare and education
Failure modes and hazards
Ignoring consent
Missing abuse disclosures
Assuming universal cultural norms
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What touching is.
Attribution.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is touching, and how does it differ from the sense of touch, massage therapy and contagion? definition
- Has someone experienced unwanted or abusive touching, in which case support services, a trusted person or police can help? boundary
Actions
Named actions.
Actions
Actions.
- What are tapping melons, bodily contact, physical intimacy, dabbing, scratching and accidental touching? definition
- Which entry fits the specific action? action
Science Science of touch.
Science.
Receptors
Receptors.
Receptors
Receptors.
- How do skin receptors and C-tactile fibres detect touch? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Development
Development.
Development
Development.
- Why is touch important for infants, as research such as kangaroo care studies shows? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Social Social norms and consent.
Regulation.
Consent
Consent.
Consent
Consent.
- How do laws and guidance define consent and unwanted touching? provenance
- Which entry fits sexual harassment? action
Culture
Cultural norms.
Culture
Culture.
- How do touch norms vary across cultures, with research attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits haptic communication? action
Context Everyday touch.
Context.
Itch
Scratching.
Itch
Itch.
- Why does scratching relieve itch, and when is persistent itch worth seeing a doctor about? provenance
- Which entry fits itch? action
Food
Testing produce.
Food
Food.
- Does tapping melons reveal ripeness, as growers suggest? provenance
- Which entry fits watermelon? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should physical intimacy be a separate entry?
- How should neuroscience and psychology sources be linked?
- Should the melon-tapping practice be moved to food selection?