Kinesthetic sense is the ability to accurately perceive the positions and movements of one's skeletal joints.
The ability to assess the weight of an object is a function of kinesthesia. When an individuals picks up an object, the tension in his/her their muscles generates signals that are used to adjust posture. This sense does not operate in isolation from other senses. For example, the size-weight illusion results in a mismatch between how heavy an object looks and how heavy the muscles assume it should be. In general, larger objects are judged to be heavier than smaller objects of the same weight.
The kinesthetic sense does not mediate equilibrium, or sense of balance. Balance involves different sensory pathways and originates in large part within the inner ear.
See also Equilibrium sense ; Neuron ; Touch .
Baum, Andrew, et al. Handbook of Health Psychology. New York: Psychology Press, 2012.
Brace, Nicola, and Jovan Byford. Investigating Psychology: Key Concepts, Key Studies, Key Approaches. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Coulter, Jeff, and W. W. Sharrock. Brain, Mind, and Human Behavior in Contemporary Cognitive Science: Critical Assessments of the Philosophy of Psychology. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2007.
Gerrig, Richard J. Psychology and Life. Boston: Pearson, 2013.
Groome, David. An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Processes and Disorders. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis, 2013.
LeUnes, Arnold D. Sport Psychology. New York: Psychology Press, 2008.
Home Science Tools. “Sense of Touch.” http://www.hometrainingtools.com/skin-touch/a/1388/ (accessed September 9, 2015).