[Effects of evoking imagery on the control of peripheral skin temperature]

This study aimed to examine the effects of evoking imagery as a strategy to control the skin temperature with the biofeedback method. Subjects were 32 female nursing school students. Pair-matched by their ability to evoke imagery, they were assigned to either the I group that was instructed to evoke warm imagery or the NI group that did not receive such instruction. The experiment was consisted of four sessions: pre-test session, two feedback training sessions, and post-test session. All subjects were instructed to raise their finger skin temperature, and the visual feedback was presented to both groups only during the feedback training sessions. Results obtained were as follows: (a) Both groups were able to raise their skin temperature during the feedback training sessions. (b) In the post-test, however, the number of subjects who were able to raise their skin temperature were greater in the I group than the NI group. These results suggested that the subjects who had acquired a strategy could control their skin temperature more effectively if the feedback was taken off.