Comparative Evaluation of Attention and Short-term Memory Under Lighting Scenes of Illuminance and CRI Contrast in Primary Education Classrooms

Abstract

The usual way of establishing visual hierarchies in spaces is by creating a difference in the lighting level between areas of different interest. However, this favours the increase of pupil movements that can lead to visual fatigue and consequently to loss of attention and health problems. This experiment evaluates the effectiveness of establishing a classification using the difference in Colour Rendering Index (CRI) between an area of ​​interest and its immediate surroundings as a call for attention. The experiment consists of the development of specific tasks in areas illuminated with different CRI values, but identical illuminance (Em) values, maintaining a high uniformity to avoid fatigue caused by contrast. The performance of four groups of students (87) between 8 and 11 years old is evaluated, as well as the time and number of iterations necessary to correctly develop the proposed task. This task consists of solving a nine-piece puzzle with four variables: location, colour, fill and form. The results show significant improvements in the analysed parameters of errors and colour when solving a puzzle, as well as a time improvement of 7 seconds in the resolution of the task in the study scene. Once the effectiveness of CRI difference as a visual tool to improve attention has been demonstrated, the long-term improvement in fatigue compared to traditional illumination difference methods should be investigated.