Research Design Connection: Temperature at Work

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | April 30th, 2018

Syndicus, Wiese and van Treeck studied the implications of workplace temperatures. The researchers collected information “in an office-like environment in one of the three temperature conditions. The comfort condition…featured an average air temperature of 24 °C [75 degrees Fahrenheit]. The elevated ambient temperature condition was 28 °C [82 degrees Fahrenheit]…Condition three employed an airstream of approximately 0.8 m[eters]/s[econd], intended to compensate for performance decrements at the elevated air temperature (28 °C)…Participants in the warm condition were significantly less persistent [on the cognitive task they’d been asked to work on] compared with participants in the control [comfort] and compensation conditions…the airstream seemed to compensate for the higher temperature. Participants’ persistence in the compensation and comfort conditions did not differ.” Marc Syndicus, Bettina Wiese, and Christoph van Treeck. “Too Hot to Carry On? Disinclination to Persist at a Task in a Warm Office Environment.” Ergonomics, vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 476-481, doi: 10.1080/00140139.2017 Sally Augustin, PhD,a …