Cross-modal effects of environmental factors on perception and bodily responses: a pilot study

During perception with our senses interactions of different environmental stressors (olfactory, auditory, visual and thermal stimuli) at brain level might occur. To test these cross-modal effects, a three-way factorial design was applied. In total, 60 students across six groups were each exposed to three randomized combinations of different environmental conditions: three sound conditions, three lighting conditions, and two ventilation modes, while sitting in a semi-lab environment. Heart rate and respiration rate were monitored using a smart watch; acceptability and experience were collected through a questionnaire to assess subjects’ comfort perception. Results showed no statistical differences between the two ventilation modes and no effect of light type on the physiological indicators. A trend towards an interaction effect was found for sound*light on the acceptability of odour (p=0.076) and the perceived level of sound (p=0.055). For future studies, it is therefore important to first identify physiological indicators that can be affected by all the independent factors studied.