Abstract
Psychological adaptation to ambient temperatures is fascinating and critical, both theoretically and practically, for energy efficiency in temperate climates. In this study, we investigated and compared the brain response (event-related potentials with a late positive component and latency ~300 milliseconds; labeled “P300” in the present study) and reaction times of Indonesian participants (n = 11), as tropical natives living in Japan, and Japanese participants (n = 9) in natural (i.e., hot during the summer and cold during the winter) and comfort conditions (with cooling and heating). Thermal comfort under contrasting conditions was studied using both instruments and subjective ratings. P300 potential and reaction time were measured before and after a Uchida–Kraepelin (U–K) test (30 summation lines). The results showed that P300 potential and latency did not change between the pre- and post-U–K test among conditions in any of the groups. Furthermore, Indonesian participants showed lower P300 potential (hot conditions) and slower P300 latency (hot and cooling conditions) than Japanese participants. We also found that the reaction time of the Indonesian group significantly differed between the pre- and post-U–K test in an air-conditioned environment, with either cooling or heating. In this study, Indonesian participants demonstrated a resistance to P300 and worse reaction times during work in a thermally unfamiliar season, specifically indicated by the indifferent performances among contrasting environmental conditions. Indonesian participants also showed similar thermal and comfort sensations to Japanese participants among the conditions. In the winter, when the Indonesian neutral temperature is higher than Japanese’s, the energy consumption may increase.
Highlights
In Japan, thermal comfort is one of the important issues in offices, because air conditioning—hot and cold—is essential [1,2]
We investigated P300 and the reaction time (RT) of Indonesian and Japanese individuals in natural and comfort conditions, and found that the temperature under contrasting conditions did not influence either P300 potential or latency in Indonesian and Japanese people, as the ambient temperature was not severe in the present study
The effect of the comfort condition on RT was more pronounced than the natural condition, in the Indonesian group
Summary
In Japan, thermal comfort is one of the important issues in offices, because air conditioning—hot and cold—is essential [1,2]. The study of thermal comfort on cognitive performance is limited. Previous research has established that heat stress might impair cognitive functioning influenced by task complexity or a combination of task complexity and duration [3,4,5,6]. Cognitive functioning might be affected by cold exposure [7,8]. Cold stress and the environment can potentially affect cognitive performance, including the reaction time and error rate [8,9,10,11]. Evaluating cognitive performance in response to heat and cold exposure is contingent on subjective responses, which are influenced by skill level and motivation [6,8]. Other methodological distinctions (environmental and physiological conditions) are not clearly elaborated on cognitive functioning [6,12]
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