Did changing room temperature and light color affect reading comprehension?

Details

To improve physical learning environments and explore potential energy savings from adjusting lighting color, the study examined interactions between thermal and visual perceptions and their effects on reading comprehension. In a within-subject experiment, 27 participants were exposed to four scenarios combining nominal room temperatures of 24 °C and 28 °C with light correlated color temperatures (CCT) of 2900 K and 5700 K, at 510 lux, from 9 AM to 11 AM. The researchers measured thermal and visual perceptions, physiological signals, and reading comprehension.

Repeated-measures two-way ANOVA showed that CCT influenced thermal sensation but did not affect thermal comfort. Post-hoc analysis suggested that room temperature remained the dominant factor influencing both thermal sensation and comfort. A significant cross-modal interaction between CCT and thermal sensations was also observed.

Reading comprehension scores remained consistent across all test conditions, possibly because of ceiling effects. Alertness, motivation, heart rate, and heart rate variability did not differ significantly between the four conditions. Quiz scores and completion times suggested that changing temperature and light color within a moderate range does not significantly affect reading comprehension, indicating potential energy savings from relaxing environmental control setpoints. Decision tree models also suggested that predicted mean vote (PMV), clothing insulation, and sample size influence whether the hue-heat hypothesis is supported or refuted in the literature.