A Guide to Methodology Procedures for Measuring Subjective Impressions in Lighting

A major objective if IERI Project 92 has been the development of a research methodology for studying psychological and related subjective effects of illumination. In this sense, the study has made note of two aspects of human behavior that might be influenced, to some extent, by spatial illumination: (1) the effect of light on subject impression and attitude; and (2) the effect of light on performance and overt behavior. The former effects (subjective impressions) appear to involve a recognition of cues or patterns - and these can be studied by scaling procedures. The latter effects (overt behavior, such as seat or path selection, posture, social behavior, participation in activities, etc.) sometimes involve actions taken in response to the cues and patterns - and these can be studied by mapping procedures. This report will focus specifically on scaling procedures for studying subjective impressions. The intention is to propose a somewhat standardized series of test procedures - so that work by various researchers can be compared, and otherwise contribute to a common base of knowledge and information on the subject.