The authors examined the effect of external shading system on cognitive performance, alertness and visual comfort of visual display terminal (VDT) users under two realistic office lighting settings in this study. Daylight was the source of illumination being considered as the most significant and preferred one. A total of 26 participants performed visual and cognitive demanding tasks as well as providing subjective alertness, performance and visual evaluations in a full-scale mock-up VDT workstation. Two trials (with and without shading system) were executed during one experimental session. Results revealed that the use of a shading system improves the performance of a user on colour-naming task requiring sustained attention, while no differential effects were observed on tasks involving other cognitive skills such as search velocity and vigilance. Within-subject performance differences were more pronounced during morning hours. Higher performance was reported in some cognitive tests when the subjective sensation of visual discomfort was lower.
RodriguezRGPattiniA.Effects of a large area glare source in cognitive efficiency and effectiveness in visual display terminal work. LEUKOS – J Illuminating Eng Soc North Am2012;
8: 283–299.
2.
LecceseFSalvadoriGRoccaM.Visual discomfort among university students who use CAD workstations. WOR2016;
55: 171–180.
3.
LecceseFSalvadoriGRoccaM.Visual ergonomics of video-display-terminal workstations: field measurements of luminance for various display settings. Displays2016;
42: 9–18.
4.
BisegnaFBurattiniCLi RosiOBlasoLFumagalliS.Non visual effects of light: an overview and an Italian experience. Energy Proc2015;
78: 723–728.
5.
Sundstrom ED. Work Places: The psychology of the physical environment in offices and factories. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
6.
BurattiniCPiccardiLCurcioGFerlazzoFGianniniAMBisegnaF.Cold LED lighting affects visual but not acoustic vigilance. Build Environ2019;
151: 148–155.
7.
CurcioGPiccardiLFerlazzoFGianniniAMBurattiniCBisegnaF. LED lighting effect on sleep, sleepiness, mood and vigor. In: Proceedings of 16th IEEE international conference on environment and electrical engineering, Firenze, Italy, June 7–10 2016; pp.1–5.
8.
Van BommelWVan Den BeldG.Lighting for work: a review of visual and biological effects. Light Res Technol2004;
36: 255–269.
9.
GriecoAMolteniG.Seating and Posture in VDT Work. In: KarwowskiWMarrasWS (eds) The occupational ergonomics handbook.
Baca Raton, FL:
CRC Press, 1999, pp.1779–1791.
10.
LecceseFSalvadoriGMontagnaniCCiconiARoccaM.Lighting assessment of ergonomic workstation for radio diagnostic reporting. Int J Ind Ergon2017;
57: 42–54.
11.
KunduraciACKazanasmazTHordijkT.Examining occupancy and architectural aspects affecting manual lighting control behavior in offices based on a user survey. Light Eng2018;
26: 139–147.
12.
SmoldersK.Daytime light exposure e effects and preferences. Doctoral dissertation, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, 2013.
13.
OweikeyeJAmasuomoMAlioAN.Students’ perception of daylight illumination in the school workshop as a determinant for effective students’ task performance in workshop practice. J Educ Learn2013;
2: 201–207.
14.
Phipps-NelsonJRedmanJRDijkDJRajaratnamSM.Daytime exposure to bright light, as compared to dim light, decreases sleepiness and improves psychomotor vigilance performance. Sleep2003;
26: 695–700.
15.
SmoldersKDe KortYAVCluitmansP.A higher illuminance induces alertness even during office hours: findings on subjective measures, task performance and heart rate measures. Physiol Behav2012;
107: 7–16.
16.
SunCLianZLanL. Work performance in relation to lighting environment in office buildings. Indoor Built Environ. 2019; 28: 1064–1082.
17.
HuibertsLMSmoldersKIJsselsteijnWAde KortYAW. Shining light on memory: The effects of daytime bright light exposure on memory task performance varying in difficulty level. In: Proceedings of experiencing light 2014: international conference on the effects of light on wellbeing, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, November 10–11 2014; pp.44–47.
18.
FostervoldKNersveenJ.Proportions of direct and indirect indoor lighting – the effect on health, well-being and cognitive performance of office workers. Light Res Technol2008;
40: 175–200.
19.
EklundNHBoycePRSimpsonSN.Lighting and sustained performance. J Illuminating Eng Soc2000;
29: 116–130.
20.
KnezI.Effects of indoor lighting on mood and cognition. J Environ Psychol1995;
15: 39–51.
21.
SalvadoriGLecceseFBurattiniCBisegnaF. Photobiological and circadian effects of LED displays: comparison between different laptop configurations. In: Proceedings of 18th IEEE international conference on environment and electrical engineering, Palermo, Italy, June 12–15 2018; pp.1864–1869.
22.
CuttleC. People and windows in workplaces. In: Proceedings of the people and physical environment research conference, Wellington, New Zealand, June 8–11 1983; pp.203–212.
23.
HeerwagenJHHeerwagenDR.Lighting and psychological comfort. Light Des Appl1986;
16: 47–51.
24.
VeitchJAHineDWGiffordR.End users' knowledge, preferences, and beliefs for lighting. J Interior Des1993;
19: 15–26.
25.
VeitchJAGiffordR.Assessing beliefs about lighting effects on health, performance, mood and social behavior. Environ Behav1996;
28: 446–470.
26.
RodriguezRGYamín GarretónJAPattiniAE.Glare and cognitive performance in screen work in the presence of sunlight. Light Res Technol2016;
48: 221–238.
27.
GouZLauSSQianF.Comparison of mood and task performance in naturally-lit and artificially-lit environments. Indoor Built Environ2015;
24: 27–36.
28.
OchoaCECapelutoIG.Evaluating visual comfort and performance of three natural lighting systems for deep office buildings in highly luminous climates. Build Environ2006;
41: 1128–1135.
29.
BelliaLFragliassoFStefanizziE.Daylit offices: a comparison between measured parameters assessing light quality and users’ opinions. Build Environ2017;
113: 92–106.
30.
BaronRA.Environmentally induced positive affect: its impact on self-efficacy, task performance, negotiation, and conflict. J Appl Social Pyschol1990;
20: 368–384.
31.
BaronRAThomleyJ.A whiff of reality: positive affect as a potential mediator of the effects of pleasant fragrances on task performance and helping. Environ Behav1994;
26: 766–784.
32.
KnezIEnmarkerI.Effects of office lighting on mood and cognitive performance and a gender effect in work-related judgment. Environ Behav1998;
30: 553–567.
33.
CaseyMB.Gender, sex, and cognition: considering the interrelationship between biological and environmental factors. Learn Individual Diff1996;
8: 39–53.
34.
HydeJS.Sex and cognition: gender and cognitive functions. Curr Opin Neurobiol2016;
38: 53–56.
35.
KnezIKerzC.Effects of indoor lighting, gender, and age on mood and cognitive performance. Environ Behav2000;
32: 817–831.
36.
MonteolivaJMRodriguezRGPattiniAEIsonMS. Daylighting and cognition: experimental studies on working memory and attention in clerical and educational contexts. In: Proceedings of EXPERIENCING LIGHT 2012: international conference on the effects of light on wellbeing, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, November 12–13 2012; pp.1–4.
37.
GuillemetteJHébertMPaquetJDumontM.Natural bright light exposure in the summer and winter in subjects with and without complaints of seasonal mood variations. Biol Psychiatry1998;
44: 622–628.
38.
HuibertsLMSmolders Kchj De KortY.Seasonal and time-of-day variations in acute non-image forming effects of illuminance level on performance, physiology, and subjective well-being. Chronobiol Int2017;
34: 827–844.
39.
Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage. Ocular lighting effects on human physiology and behaviour. No. CIE 158:2004. Vienna, Austria: CIE, 2004.
40.
FortuinG.Visual power and visibility. Philips Res Rep1951;
6: 347–371.
41.
RoennebergTWirz-JusticeAMerrowM.Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. J Biol Rhythms2003;
18: 80–90.
42.
ISO/CIE 19476:2014. Characterization of the performance of illuminance meters and luminance meters.
Geneva, Switzerland:
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 2014.
43.
MackworthNH.The breakdown of vigilance during prolonged visual search. Q J Exp Psychol1948;
1: 6–21.
ParkinBLWarrinerKWalshV.Gunslingers, poker players, and chickens 1: decision making under physical performance pressure in elite athletes. Progr Brain Res2017;
234: 291–316.
46.
VeitchJA.Flicker effects on brain activity. Light Des Appl2013;
43: 56–59.
47.
StoetG.PsyToolkit – a software package for programming psychological experiments using Linux. Behav Res Meth2010;
42: 1096–1104.
48.
StoetG.PsyToolkit: a novel web-based method for running online questionnaires and reaction-time experiments. Teach Psychol2017;
44: 24–31.
49.
ÅkerstedtTGillbergM.Subjective and objective sleepiness in the active individual. Int J Neurosci1990;
52: 29–37.
50.
HuibertsLMSmoldersKde KortY.Shining light on memory: effects of bright light on working memory performance. Behav Brain Res2015;
294: 234–245.
FisherRA.Statistical methods for research workers. In: KotzSJohnsonNL (eds) Breakthroughs in statistics. Springer series in statistics (perspectives in statistics).
New York, NY:
Springer, 1992, pp.66–70.
53.
ChraibiSLashinaTShrubsolePAriesMVan LoenenERosemannA.Satisfying light conditions: a field study on perception of consensus light in Dutch open office environments. Build Environ2016;
105: 116–127.
54.
FieldA.Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. 4th ed.
London:
Sage, 2013.
55.
FergusonCJ.An effect size primer: a guide for clinicians and researchers. Profession Psychol: Res Pract2009;
40: 532–538.
56.
KentMGAltomonteSTregenzaPRWilsonR.Discomfort glare and time of day. Light Res Technol2015;
47: 641–657.
57.
VeitchJA.Lighting for high-quality workplaces. Creating the productive workplace.
London, UK:
Taylor & Francis, 2006.
