The purpose of this study was to compare the responses of patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon accompanied by progressive systemic sclerosis to the responses of healthy normal control subjects to stimuli presented in a psychophysiological stress battery.The study was comprised of two phases. In Phase I, fifteen (15) Raynaud’s patients and fifteen (15) controls were given stimuli in the following order: rest (10 minutes), orienting tones (22 minutes), mental arithmetic (10 minutes), rest (5 minutes), cold (20 minutes), and rest (5 minutes). During the second phase, another fifteen (15) patients and fifteen (15) controls were given the stimuli in reverse order: rest (10 minutes), cold (20 minutes), rest (10 minutes), mental arithmetic (10 minutes), rest (10 minutes), orienting tones (22 minutes), and rest (10 minutes). Digital cutaneous temperature of both hands and digital pulse amplitude of both hands were measured.It was hypothesized that: (1) Raynaud’s patients would have lower temperature and more vasoconstriction at baseline than controls; (2) the responsivity of Raynaud's patients to the stimuli would differ from that of the controls; (3) Raynaud’s patients would show a greater decrease in temperature and greater vasoconstriction to cold than to the other stimuli (symptom specificity); (4) Raynaud’s patients would tend to respond with fewer changes across all stimuli than would control subjects (symptom stereotypy).Results revealed that both baseline temperature and baseline pulse amplitude were generally lower in Raynaud’s patients. Raynaud’s patients tended to respond to cold by showing a marked decrease in pulse amplitude, thereby confirming symptom specificity. Results concerning responsivity of Raynaud’s patients to all stimuli were inconsistent. Generally, pulse amplitude data indicated more group differences than temperature data, but symptom stereotypy was confirmed solely in Phase II. The order of presentation of stimuli was not evidenced to have had any effect in responsivity.In conclusion, the results of this study support the concept that Raynaud’s phenomenon is a psychophysiologic disorder, i.e., symptoms may be exacerbated by some psychological stressor stimuli as well as by cold environment. Symptoms, then, may perhaps be reduced through psychological treatment modes.