  Although the relationship between temperature and emotional states has been
investigated in the field of haptics, it remains unknown if, or in what
direction, temperature affects emotional states. We approach this question at
the intersection of haptics and psychology using a custom-built thermal device
and emotional responses based on photos from the International Affective
Picture System (IAPS) library. Unlike past research, this study incorporates
deception and a control (i.e., neutral temperature) condition. One hundred and
twenty naive subjects reported their emotional responses to fifty-six images
varying on normative arousal and valence ratings while being exposed to a
cool~(30{\deg}C), neutral (33{\deg}C), or warm (36{\deg}C) temperature applied
to the upper back. Participants exposed to warm temperatures reported higher
arousal ratings in some image categories than participants exposed to neutral
or cool temperatures. Valence ratings were decreased in warm conditions
compared to neutral conditions. The emotion wheel was used as a complementary
method of affective response measurement, and exploratory analysis methods were
implemented. Although the valence and arousal showed statistical significance,
the emotion wheel results did not demonstrate any significant differences
between the temperature conditions.
