Each individual sensor has a receptive field. The size of the field determines how "sensitive" an area is. Sensitive areas such as the tips of the fingers and lips have lots of sensors with small receptive fields. Insensitive areas such as the back have few receptors with large fields. A mechanism for determining the size of the field is the two point sensitivity test. Two points are placed on the skin, initially close together, so as the subject can only feel one point. they are separated until the subject can resolve, feel, two points.
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Receptor Fields
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Epidermis
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Epidermis
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SensorsDermal
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