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The Influence of Ceiling Height: The Effect of Priming on the Type of Processing That People Use
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This article demonstrates that variations in ceiling height can prime concepts that, in turn, affect how consumers process information. We theorized that when reasonably salient, a high versus low ceiling can prime the concepts of freedom versus confinement, respectively. These concepts, in turn, can prompt consumers' use of predominately relational versus item-specific processing. Three studies found support for this theorizing. On a variety of measures, ceiling height-induced relational or item-specific processing was indicated by people's reliance on integrated and abstract versus discrete and concrete ideation. Hence, this research sheds light on when and how ceiling height can affect consumers' responses. (c) 2007 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..
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... Similarly, spontaneity within social interactions, facilitated by impromptu discussions in flexible spaces or chance encounters in communal areas, introduces unpredictability that challenges entrenched modes of thought (Janssen et al., 2004;Tjosvold, 2007). These unplanned interactions seemingly act as micro-disruptions, breaking rigid communication patterns and fostering cognitive flexibility essential for innovation (Meyers-Levy & Zhu, 2007). ...
Human existence is shaped by interconnected patterns and repetitions that unfold in rhythmic cycles, from biological functions to socially constructed behaviors. While innate (physiological) and natural (environmental) cycles remain fixed, self-constructed cycles, such as routines and habits, are more dynamic, shaped by human agency. These repetitive behaviors often enhance efficiency, goal achievement, well-being, and stress reduction. However, over-reliance on them can lead to rigidity, inhibiting innovation, serendipity, and adaptability. In an era of rapid technological change, the highly routinized lifestyle of the industrial age may no longer be optimal. Drawing insights from a systems-thinking perspective, we reconceptualize routines and habits as dynamic constructs that offer both stability and adaptability in shaping human behavior. This paper contributes to the academic discourse on temporal structures and innovation by critically examining how routines function as both enablers and constraints in a rapidly evolving world, offering practical insights into fostering greater flexibility in behavioral and adaptive patterns.
... Indoor plants, which act as natural air purifiers by removing pollutants and increasing oxygen levels, can also be integrated (Deng and Deng, 2018). Increasing ceiling height is another common factor that impacts the quality of the indoor experience (Meyers-Levy and Zhu, 2007). ...
Indoor environments significantly impact human health. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgency of reconnecting with nature to maintain both physiological and psychological health. Modern indoor lifestyles have increased isolation from nature, diminishing these benefits. While previous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of biophilic design on human physiological comfort, its application in residential spaces remains underexplored. This study investigates how biophilic design elements—including natural light, ventilation, and greenery—influence physiological stress and comfort in residential settings using immersive virtual environments (IVE). Ninety-four participants were exposed to two test environments: one with biophilic elements and one without. Measurements of skin conductance level (SCL) and blood pressure (BP) were recorded across three phases: relaxation, exposure to mild stressors, and recovery. The results revealed a significant reduction in SCL in biophilic environments (∆M = −0.38) compared to non-biophilic environments (∆M = −0.19). However, BP levels remained unaffected across both experiments. These findings suggest that biophilic design positively influences stress recovery and comfort, underscoring its potential in residential applications.
... To improve placemaking by offering knowledge and insights into how the built environment affects human behavior and mentality, various research approaches and methods have been developed and applied. Among these approaches, advancements in neuroscience have led to increased research uncovering the detailed mechanisms by which physical environments affect our lives, specifically by demonstrating their impacts on brain activity (Arbib 2021;Aspinall et al. 2015;Assem, Khodeir, and Fathy 2023;Eberhard 2009;Higuera-Trujillo, Llinares, and Macagno 2021;Lee, Shin, and Park 2022;Maleki and Bayzidi 2017;McCoy and Evans 2002;Meyers-Levy and Zhu 2007;Ritchie 2020;Robinson and Pallasmaa 2015;Vartanian et al. 2015;Wang et al. 2022). ...
This essay aims to develop a conceptual framework to assess how people experience the built environment through a critical review of neuroarchitecture, architectural phenomenology, and neurophenomenology. Our experiences with the environment are mediated by our brains, such as through neurophysiological responses to colors, shapes, or heights. These experiences are conventionally defined as "universal" and "objective." Additionally, our experiences are constantly refracted by our unconscious subjective cognitive filters in the brain. Based on the critical literature review and synthesis, this study conceptualizes our phenomenological, natural, everyday architectural experience as refractive neuroarchitecture phenomenology, defined as a study of humans' subjective architectural experiences through an epistemological and methodological convergence of the first-and second-person phenomenological and third-person neuroscientific methods. This conceptual framework maintains that architectural experience is fundamentally subjective and predominantly unconscious; however, it can be assessed through objective neuroscientific and subjective phenomenological methods. It holds intellectual significance as it seeks to integrate both objective and subjective epistemologies and methodologies into architectural research, fostering methodological innovations for empirical studies.
... Grossbart et al. (1990), Harrell, Hutt and Anderson (1980), Levav andZhu (2009), Palinkas (2003) The subjective perception of limited personal action and lack of control over community events can be measured by items related to perceived external influence, control over events, and helplessness. Lachman and Weaver (1998), Meyers-Levy and Zhu (2007) Citizenship behavior beneficial to community members (Dependent variable) ...
In recent years, private domain communities have become key hubs for connecting businesses and users. However, many private domain communities remain “rigid” rather than “activated,” limiting their marketing potential. This paper, grounded in psychological reactance theory, examines how dual‐channel responsibility affects consumer citizenship behavior beneficial to community members. Using surveys, experiments, and regression analysis across seven studies, the research shows that taking charge boosts freedom and promotes citizenship behavior beneficial to community members. In contrast, responsibility diffusion limits such behavior by imposing constraints. Community warmth moderates the effects of responsibility diffusion and taking charge on these behaviors.
... Empirical research on the relationships among ceiling height, concentration, and creativity is scarce [12]. Meyers-Levy and Zhu [35] investigated responses in rooms with 8-foot and 10-foot ceilings. They found that people in rooms with 10-foot ceilings tended to think more freely and abstractly and could solve more than twice as many creative problems as those in rooms with lower ceilings, whereas those in rooms with 8-foot ceilings were more likely to focus on details. ...
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) can be used to study the influence of environmental elements on human emotions, cognition, and behavior. EEGs can reveal unconscious responses and fill in the gaps left by subjective responses provided in survey questionnaires or interviews. EEG research on the impact of classroom design elements on concentration and creativity is scarce; the design elements studied have not been diverse enough. In addition, no researchers have examined the brain and subjective responses to multiple indoor environmental elements regarding concentration and creativity. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore how the human brain responds to different indoor environmental elements as shown by objective EEG signals related to concentration and creativity, and their similarities and differences to subjective self-reported responses. The experimental stimuli included 16 images combining four indoor environmental elements—classroom space shape, furniture arrangement, ceiling height, and color—along with images of white walls, a full-window wall with a view of nature, and a windowless scenario, totaling 19 images. The brainwaves of 20 people collected from eight channels were analyzed to determine the concentration index (CI) for concentration and relative theta (RT) for creativity. As a subjective response, participants were asked to choose the stimuli in which they felt they could best concentrate and be most creative in a self-report format. The results showed the following tendencies: (a) More brainwaves in the parietal and occipital lobes than in the prefrontal or frontal lobes; (b) a higher CI with rectilinear shapes, traditional frontal furniture arrangements, and red walls; (c) a higher RT with curvilinear shapes, collaborative furniture arrangements, white walls, and a full view of nature; and (d) participants selected white walls and a front-facing furniture layout as supportive of concentration and a full view of nature, curvilinear shape, and collaborative furniture layout for creative thinking. The results showed that similarities in brain and subjective responses were related to furniture layout and shape, whereas differences existed in color. This study contributes to the understanding of the characteristics of indoor environments that appear to enhance the manifestation of concentration and creativity.
... The floor-to-ceiling height significantly influences thermal comfort, visual comfort, indoor acoustics, perceived space beauty, and human perception of indoor space comfort [31][32][33][34][35]. Recognizing ceiling height as a crucial architectural design parameter with noticeable impacts on energy consumption, this study focuses on the detailed evaluation of ceiling height's influence on the heating and cooling energy consumption of buildings across various cities in Afghanistan. ...
The escalating global energy consumption of the building sector highlights the imperative for architects and designers to efficiently configure indoor spaces due to their profound role in energy utilization globally. However, in the prevailing reliance on mechanical air conditioning systems, the influence of passive architectural elements, specifically ceiling height, on energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort has been regrettably overlooked in recent years. This paper investigates the impact of ceiling height on the building energy performance in nine cities across Afghanistan characterized by a lack of standardized building regulations. Employing the BEopt™ software, comprehensive energy simulations were conducted, considering varying floor-to-ceiling heights ranging from 8 to 15 feet. The study reveals Precise effects, indicating that elevated ceilings have minimal impact on cooling loads but significantly increases heating energy demand. Therefore, lower ceilings are recommended in regions with predominant heating loads (e.g. Bamiyan, Chaghcharan, Ghazni, Kabul), while in cooling-dominated areas (e.g. Farah, Kandahar, Jalalabad), higher ceilings enhance energy efficiency. The findings indicate that a 1-foot increase in ceiling height corresponds to an energy demand increase ranging from 3.7% in warmer regions to 11.3% in colder areas. The findings provide insights into the relationship between ceiling height and energy efficiency, contributing to the development of standardized building regulations in Afghanistan.
In this study, we analyzed the effects of sound environments on creativity using three-dimensional sounds of different types. The results of three experiments revealed that spatial and non-spatial impressions that lead to diffuse and convergent thinking are required in spaces where creativity is needed, and that these impressions are composed of non-noise, independence, and freshness, as well as a "spaciousness" feeling. The results of the task revealed that the impression is composed of non-noise, independence, freshness, and a "sense of spaciousness". In the diffusive task, the more "spaciousness" and the higher the sound pressure, the better the performance. In the convergent task, on the other hand, performance improved with lower sound pressure. However, individual difference analysis based on physiological responses during the task showed that the affected sound environment differs depending on the cluster.
In this article, we attempt to distinguish between the properties of moderator and mediator variables at a number of levels. First, we seek to make theorists and researchers aware of the importance of not using the terms moderator and mediator interchangeably by carefully elaborating, both conceptually and strategically, the many ways in which moderators and mediators differ. We then go beyond this largely pedagogical function and delineate the conceptual and strategic implications of making use of such distinctions with regard to a wide range of phenomena, including control and stress, attitudes, and personality traits. We also provide a specific compendium of analytic procedures appropriate for making the most effective use of the moderator and mediator distinction, both separately and in terms of a broader causal system that includes both moderators and mediators. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This chapter examines some of the literature demonstrating an impact of affect on social behavior. It will consider the influence of affect on cognition in an attempt to further understand on the way cognitive processes may mediate the effect of feelings on social behavior. The chapter describes the recent works suggesting an influence of positive affect on flexibility in cognitive organization (that is, in the perceived relatedness of ideas) and the implications of this effect for social interaction. The goal of this research is to expand the understanding of social behavior and the factors, such as affect, that influence interaction among people. Another has been to extend the knowledge of affect, both as one of these determinants of social behavior and in its own right. And a third has been to increase the understanding of cognitive processes, especially as they play a role in social interaction. Most recently, cognitive and social psychologists have investigated ways in which affective factors may participate in cognitive processes (not just interrupt them) and have begun to include affect as a factor in more comprehensive models of cognition. The research described in the chapter has focused primarily on feelings rather than intense emotion, because feelings are probably the most frequent affective experiences. The chapter focuses primarily on positive affect.
The authors examine the effect of type of elaboration on information processing and product judgments Research participants were shown print advertisements promoting a camera in which the pictorial material depicted either product features mentioned in the copy (attribute-focused condition) or people, objects, or usage occasions captured by the camera (image-focused condition). These advertisements were presented in the context of advertisements for competing brands of camel as or for products in categories unrelated to cameras. When the context was composed of competing cameras, the attribute-focused advertisement resulted in more favorable target camera judgments than did the image-focused advertisement, whereas when products unrelated to cameras served as the context, the image-focused advertisement prompted more favorable judgments. These results are interpreted as evidence that product judgments are more favorable when an advertising message receives two types of elaboration, item-specific and relational, than when only one of these types of elaboration is dominant.
In this article, the authors propose an integrative model of advertising persuasion that orders the major theories and empirically supported generalizations about persuasion that have been offered in the information-processing literature. The authors begin by reviewing this literature, placing particular emphasis on the assorted processes or mechanisms that have been suggested to mediate persuasion. To consolidate this material, the authors propose a framework that delineates three alternative strategies that people may use to process persuasive communications and form judgments, in which each strategy represents a different level of cognitive resources that is employed during message processing. In addition, the framework identifies a judgment correction stage that allows people to attempt to correct their initial judgments for biases that they perceive may have affected such judgments. The authors add to this by identifying particular processes that appear to mediate when and how these judgment formation and judgment correction processes operate. They also attempt to foster growth by specifying some of the critical issues and gaps in the knowledge that appear to impede further progress. Finally, the authors clarify how the proposed framework can inform the decisions advertising practitioners make about advertising execution and media factors.
In this article, the authors propose an integrative model of advertising persuasion that orders the major theories and empirically supported generalizations about persuasion that have been offered in the information-processing literature. The authors begin by reviewing this literature, placing particular emphasis on the assorted processes or mechanisms that have been suggested to mediate persuasion. To consolidate this material, the authors propose a framework that delineates three alternative strategies that people may use to process persuasive communications and form judgments, in which each strategy represents a different level of cognitive resources that is employed during message processing. In addition, the framework identifies a judgment correction stage that allows people to attempt to correct their initial judgments for biases that they perceive may have affected such judgments. The authors add to this by identifying particular processes that appear to mediate when and how these judgment formation and judgment correction processes operate. They also attempt to foster growth by specifying some of the critical issues and gaps in the knowledge that appear to impede further progress. Finally, the authors clarify how the proposed framework can inform the decisions advertising practitioners make about advertising execution and media factors.
A model of interpersonal terms (verbs and adjectives) is reviewed in terms of the research on: (a) the systematic cognitive inferences these terms mediate, and (b) the implications of this model for social cognitive processes as it is applied in different domains such as attribution processes and intergroup relations.
Advertising repetition is frequently used to influence consumers' judgments of an advertised product. Several studies have found that when the target ad is repeated in a cluttered environment, repetition may not affect judgments. These findings have provoked little interest because they seem to be attributable to the interference introduced by the cluttered environments. The implication is that a substantial number of exposures to the target ad would be needed before an effect of ad repetition on product judgments would be observed. Based on recent research, this article offers and tests an alternative account. The hypothesis is that the nature of the environment in which an ad is repeated can affect the occurrence of two types of target ad processing: item-specific and relational. The type(s) of processing the ad receives, in turn, affects ad recipients' learning and judgments of ad-related information. q 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Is there a method to our madness when it comes to shopping? Hailed by the "San Francisco Chronicle" as "a Sherlock Holmes for retailers," author and research company CEO Paco Underhill answers with a definitive "yes" in this witty, eye-opening report on our ever-evolving consumer culture. "Why We Buy" is based on hard data gleaned from thousands of hours of field research -- in shopping malls, department stores, and supermarkets across America. With his team of sleuths tracking our every move, from sweater displays at the mall to the beverage cooler at the drugstore, Paco Underhill lays bare the struggle among merchants, marketers, and increasingly knowledgeable consumers for control. In his quest to discover what makes the contemporary consumer tick, Underhill explains the shopping phenomena that often go unnoticed by retailers and shoppers alike, including: How a well-placed shopping basket can turn a small purchase into a significant sale What the "butt-brush factor" is and how it can make sales plummet How working women have altered the way supermarkets are designed How the "boomerang effect" makes product placement ever more challenging What kinds of signage and packaging turn browsers into buyers For those in retailing and marketing, "Why We Buy" is a remarkably fresh guide, offering creative and insightful tips on how to adapt to the changing customer. For the general public, "Why We Buy" is a funny and sometimes disconcerting look at our favorite pastime.
Automatic stereotype activation can be overcome intentionally and after an extensive training. However, intentions have to be tailored to a certain social category. It is hypothesized that activating the mindset “think different” by priming creativity prevents stereotypes and associations in general from becoming automatically activated. In two experiments a creative, a thoughtful or no mindset was activated. Afterwards, the activation of associations was measured using a lexical decision task with semantic priming. As predicted, the automatic activation of stereotypes (Study 1) and other associations (Study 2) was found in the control conditions but not in a creative mindset. These results suggest that people possess a mindset that allows for overcoming automatic stereotype activation without being tailored to a specific category.