News
Studying the psychology of heated glass
January 19, 2006
By Dale Rodebaugh | Herald Staff Writer
While Fort Lewis College physics students gather empirical data on the thermal qualities of special window panes, an FLC psychology professor will attempt to learn if there are intangible benefits.
Instead of dealing with statistics, Alane Brown will analyze subjective feelings - the reaction of those who use La Plata Electric Association's 1,200-square-foot boardroom, where the Thermique Hot Glass Technology panes are installed.
"We're going to examine the psychological dimension of the glass - the experience of comfort," Brown said. "The question is not just whether the room is warm or cold, but whether the temperature makes people feel comfortable."
It's all part of environmental psychology, which asks questions about "natural" environments such as the way people find their way along hiking trails, and also about "built" environments, like measuring what goes on indoors, Brown said.
Responses to natural or built environments aren't easily measured, but gauging subjective reactions is what environmental psychologists like Brown do.
"Environmental psychology is the science of how surroundings affect people," Brown said. "There is the environment and then how the environment is perceived."
Brown's role in the LPEA research will be to ask boardroom users to assess the room and describe how it makes them feel.
"Changes in warmth can influence other perceptions, such as how relaxing the room seems," Brown said. "It will be interesting to see which users are more responsive to the changes. For example, age or gender might predict who is the most sensitive to the new heat source."
Brown has conducted numerous surveys in natural and built environments. Among them:
• She has taken students to the Center of Southwest Studies museum to measure the "exit gradient," the tendency of viewers to spend less time at exhibits as they approach a door to another gallery.
• She has studied how indoor and outdoor environments affect feelings of spirituality.
• In the Weminuche Wilderness, she found that people who have environmental values are more likely to use low-impact camping techniques.
Human-factors psychology is the study of working conditions such as space, lighting, noise and temperature as well as the tools employees use and how these factors affect employees.
Tests show that noise or extreme temperatures in the workplace can affect employees to such a degree that the cumulative impact is reflected in the turnover rate, Brown said.
"Our study at LPEA doesn't involve extreme temperature, but temperature in the middle range," Brown said. "This calls for more subtle analysis of responses."
daler@durangoherald.com
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