The influence of indoor environmental factors on learning: An experiment combining physiological and psychological measurements

Poor learning environments can easily lead to ineffective learning. Hence, previous studies attempted to measure learning environments upon the psychological perceptions of the subjects; however, such method lacked any objective scientific validation. In order to test the influences of indoor classroom setting on learning, this study identified four environmental factors, including lighting, sound, temperature, and smell, as independent variables to conduct the experiment. A portable brainwave instrument and State Anxiety Inventory were respectively used to capture brainwave signals using electroencephalography on 68 subjects in different scenarios. The results show that changes in lighting, sound, and temperature have significant effects on the subjects' concentration level, while changes in lighting and sound are also more likely to affect the subjects' anxiety level. Among the four environmental factors, temperature has the greatest impact on concentration, while the sound is most likely to cause anxiety on the subjects. However, there is no significant relationship between learners’ anxiety and concentration during the learning process. The findings of this study can provide references to the planning and evaluation of future learning spaces. It is recommended that other environmental factors can be tested in the future to establish a more complete learning environment assessment. •Four environmental factors were identified as independent variables to conduct the experiment.•Electroencephalography (EEG) and the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) were adopted for physiological and psychological measurements.•Temperature had the greatest impact on concentration, and the sound was most likely to cause anxiety in the subjects.•Changes in lighting, sound, and temperature exhibited significant differences in the concentration of the subjects.•The anxiety of the subjects changed significantly under the interference of the changes in lighting and sound.