Effects of a large area glare source in cognitive efficiency and effectiveness in visual display terminal work

Abstract

Glare is a common visual stressor of office work and in today's offices the prevalence of information and communication technologies adds additional mental demands. The aim of this study was to explore the role of light as a cognitive stressor in visual display terminal (VDT) work. We used a large area light source in a 2 × 2 × 2 full factorial experimental design. We assessed cognitive efficiency using the RTLX method and cognitive effectiveness using the RST method in different lighting scenarios. The main effects analysis showed lower working memory capacity for high luminance and large source, with statistically significant lower cognitive performance in prosaccade conditions. No statistically significant relationship was found between cognitive efficiency and the experimental factors.