Skin potential and vasomotor responsiveness of black and white children.

A few instances or racial differences in physiological response systems are found in the literature, but investigation of this variable has been relatively rare. The present report deals with cardiovascular as well as endosomatic electrodermal activity in 64 black and 42 while, 6–11 yr old children. In a standard habituation paradigm black children were more responsive in the vaso-motor measure while whites were more responsive in skin potential. Skin potential results are discussed in terms of electrodermal mechanisms. Race is seen as a variable appropriate and useful for the study of physiological response systems.