Bilateral Finger Temperature and The Law of Initial Values

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Abstract
Twenty‐two male and 43 female right‐handed subjects engaged in three different cognitive tasks while finger temperature was recorded bilaterally. The tasks, presented in randomized order, were: counting backwards by 17's, the Stroop task (Stroop, 1935). and a spatial task. All tasks produced significant (p < .001) temperature decreases on both sides of the body. Relative changes in left‐right temperature did not differ significantly among tasks, indicating no task related asymmetries. The right hand decreased in temperature significantly more than The left hand to two of the three tasks, but it is argued that this difference reflects the Law of Initial Values, not differential hemispheric involvement. The Law of Initial Values is shown to hold for finger temperature, contrary to an earlier report. Additionally, left‐right temperature differences are shown to reflect the law of Initial Values.