Abstract
The experiment was conducted during winter (February to March 2024) in Denmark. Thermal perception within indoor environments is shaped by the integration of multiple sensory 5 inputs, with visual stimuli playing a critical role. While existing work has demonstrated that room 6 color can influence thermal perception under directed attention, it remains unknown how this effect 7 manifests when the colored environment is perceived passively during an ongoing cognitive task. In 8 this study, we investigated the combined effect of wooden materials' visual characteristics—namely, 9 color and pattern—on evoked brain responses. A combination of three wooden colors (Warm, 10 Neutral, and Cold) and three pattern complexities (No-, Simple-, and Complex-Pattern) formed nine 11 different Virtual Reality (VR) environments. Subjective thermal evaluations and ongoing neural 12 responses were recorded via electroencephalography (EEG) during an Oddball paradigm task (N = 13 24). Subjective reports demonstrate that wood colors and patterns significantly affected thermal 14 perception. We extracted the P1 and P2 components over the parieto-occipital area and analyzed them 15 using a mixed linear effects regression, demonstrating the impact of wood color on P1 and pattern 16 complexity on P2. Our study indicates that early attentional processes are influenced by both color 17 and pattern. Under thermally comfortable conditions, the use of warm or cool color hues, as well as 18 increases in pattern density, leads to enhanced ERP amplitudes in the visual cortex. Although color 19 shows a pronounced effect on thermal perception, the influence of pattern appears to be comparatively 20 modest. Nevertheless, denser visual patterns were still associated with a further increase in perceived 21 warmth. Future research could compare the visual impact of various materials on thermal perception. 22 23 24
Authors
Kalantarifard, A., Faizi, M., Ekhlassi, A., Behzadi, F., & Djebbara, Z.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6123009