Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40164957›Full record

ArticleBehavior research methods2025

The Validated Touch-Video Database.

Sophie Smit, Anina N Rich

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Behavior research methods, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Sophie SmitSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. sophie.smit@mq.edu.au.
Anina N RichSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Visually observing a touch quickly reveals who is being touched, how it might feel, and the broader social or emotional context, shaping our interpretation of such interactions. Investigating these dimensions is essential for understanding how tactile experiences are processed individually and how we empathise with observed sensations in others. Here, we expand available resources for studying visually perceived touch by providing a wide-ranging set of dynamic interactions that specifically focus on the sensory qualities of touch. The Validated Touch-Video Database (VTD) consists of a set of 90 videos depicting tactile interactions with a stationary left hand, viewed from a first-person perspective. In each video, a second hand makes contact either directly (e.g., with fingers or an open palm) or using an object (e.g., a soft brush or scissors), with variations across dimensions such as hedonic qualities, arousal, threat, touch type, and the object used. Validation by 350 participants (283 women, 66 men, 1 non-binary) involved categorising the videos as 'neutral', 'pleasant', 'unpleasant', or 'painful' and rating arousal and threat levels. Our findings reveal high inter-subject agreement, with painful touch videos eliciting the highest arousal and threat ratings, while neutral touch videos serve as a baseline. Exploratory analyses indicate that women rated the videos as more threatening and painful than men, suggesting potential gender differences in the visual perception of negatively valenced touch stimuli. The VTD provides a comprehensive resource for researchers investigating the sensory and emotional dimensions of observed touch.

Indexed as

Databases, FactualTouchTouch PerceptionVideo RecordingAdolescentAdultArousalEmotionsFemaleHumansMaleVisual PerceptionYoung AdultArousalDynamic touch stimuliGender differencesSensory qualitiesTactile interactionsThreat perceptionVideosVisually perceived touch

Identifiers

PMID40164957
PMCPMC11958466

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.