A lap-shear joint mechanical testing method has been probed to measure the surface glass transition temperature (T-g(surface)) of the thick bulk films of high-molecular-weight polymers. As T-g(surface), the temperature transition "occurrence of autoadhesion-nonoccurrence of autoadhesion" has been proposed. The influence of chain flexibility, of molecular architecture, of polymer morphology, and of chain ends concentration on the T-g(surface) has been investigated. The correlation between the reduction in T-g(surface) with respect to the glass transition temperature of the bulk (T-g(bulk)) and the intensity of the intermolecular interaction in the polymer bulk in amorphous polymers has been found. The effect of surface roughness on P-g(surface) has been discussed. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 20122021, 2010