On the intensive aspect of the temperature sense

Abstract

A previous study suggested that discriminations between constant temperatures are qualitative rather than intensive, depending on relative amounts of activity among the members of a population of neurons, an ‘across-fiber pattern’. The present study was designed to determine whether judgement of thermal sensations might produce evidence of an intensive dimension in addition of the qualitative dimension. The findings show that with rapid temperature changes two dimensions — quality and intensity — are necessary to account for temperature sensations. In distinction to the coding process suggested for temperature quality, the intensive attribute is related to the total amount of neural activity produced.