touch theories
There are two basic theories for touch: the specificity theory, which
states that each sensation is coded by the activity in a particular kind of
receptor, and pattern theory,
which instead says that sensations are coded by the pattern of activity
in a group of
receptors. The pattern theory is the more accepted of the two, because
experiments and
data have shown that free nerve endings apparently are capable of
causing feelings other than, and including, pain.
