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Winet and O’Brien add to our understanding of when familiar options will be selected instead of novel ones.  The researchers report that “In eight experiments with nearly 6,000 total participants, [they]explored whether people tend to prefer novel, exciting experiences, such as trying a new restaurant, or familiar ones, such as returning to an old favorite—and whether those preferences shift with the amount of time people believe that they have left to enjoy similar experiences. . . . the researchers [determined] perceived endings seemed to push participants toward familiar things. They found evidence that it was not simply because the familiar experiences were a safe bet that participants knew they would enjoy, but also because they were more likely to find those familiar things personally meaningful. . . . a café slated to close for renovations might put more of its favorite dishes on the menu rather than try new items for sale.” 

“When Endings Approach, People Choose the Familiar Over the Novel.”  2022. Press release, American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2022/10/endings-approach-choose…

Research by Fauville and colleagues in the virtual world is likely relevant in real life also.  The investigators evaluated “the impact of three nonverbal cues displayed through video conference screenshots (i.e., gaze direction, distance between the face and the camera, camera angle) on impression formation. . . . Findings showed significant effects of gaze and camera angle on impression formation, with gaze [at the] camera positively associated with likeability, social presence and interpersonal attraction, and with high camera angles increased interpersonal attraction and decreased threat perceptions compared to low angles. . . . faces closer to the camera and maintaining direct gaze were rated as more socially present and threatening than the other three conditions. . . . High-camera angle refers to a shot where the camera is placed higher than the subject and thus looks down on them. Low-camera angle refers to a shot where the camera is positioned lower than the subject and thus looks up on the subject.”

Geraldie Fauville, Anna Queiroz, Mufan Luo, Jeffrey Hancock, and Jeremy Bailenson.  2022. “Impression Formation From Conference Screenshots: The Role of Gaze, Camera Distance, and Angle.”  Technology, Mind, and Behavior, vol. 3, no. 1, DOI: 10.1037/tmb0000055

Bhat and associates evaluated the effects of standing on cognitive performance. They report that “The present study investigated the effects of attending lectures in sitting and standing postures on executive function of young adults. . . .  Attending a lecture in a standing posture was found to improve executive function (response inhibition) measured with reaction times (for incongruent stimuli) and ERPs [event related potentials]. . .  Standing might improve executive function compared to sitting among young adults in a simulated lecture environment.”

Mayur Bhat, Keshab Dehury, Baskaran Chandrasekaran, Hari Palanisamy, and Ashokan Arumugam.  2022. “Does Standing Alter Reaction Times and Event Related Potentials Compared to Sitting in Young Adults?  A Counterbalanced, Crossover Trial.”  Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 663-686, https://doi.org/10.1080/1463922X.2022.2033877

Friedenberg and colleagues thoroughly investigated how humans respond to different frieze patterns (border patterns with repeated design elements).  They found via a study of the seven basic frieze types found worldwide and throughout history (presented horizontally) that “consisted of individual curved and linear motifs as well as random textures [that] Friezes that filled the entire pattern region and which contained emergent global features were preferred the most. In a second experiment, we utilized horizontal texture friezes that were completely filled and which varied in size and number of elements. Participants preferred patterns with larger features, probably because they make detection of the symmetric transformations more visible. The frieze with the greatest number of symmetries was preferred most but symmetric complexity by itself could not completely account for the predicted preference ordering. In both studies, friezes containing horizontal mirrors (translation, 180° rotation, horizontal mirror, vertical mirror, and glide reflection and translation, horizontal mirror, and glide reflection) were preferred far more than any other condition. Horizontal symmetry may enhance perceived beauty in these cases because it runs parallel to and so emphasizes the overall frieze orientation.”

Jay Friedenberg, Preston Martin, Naomi Uy, and Mackenzie Kvapil.  “The Aesthetics of Frieze Patterns:  Effects of Symmetry, Motif, and Element Size.”  I-Perception, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695221131112

The Facilities Guidelines Institute has released an important new whitepaper, “Design of Behavioral Health Crisis Units,” available at https://fgiguidelines.org/resource/design-of-behavioral-health-crisis-units/.   As the website at which the whitepaper is provided explains, “This white paper supports the minimum requirements for behavioral health crisis units included in the 2022 Hospital and Outpatient Guidelines documents. It describes the need for dedicated facilities where emergency services can be rendered to stabilize behavioral and mental health patients in crisis and provides design guidance for the creation of such a healing space beyond the minimum requirements in the 2022 Guidelines. It is intended as a resource for a range of stakeholders in the design, construction, regulation, and operation of a behavioral health crisis unit.”

Vlakveld and teammates studied how to slow drivers using road signs.  They focused on “road signs displaying children’s book illustrations. These signs display illustrations which were created by the late illustrator and writer of books for toddlers, Dick Bruna. . . . participants watched photos from the driver’s perspective. They had to report how fast they expected others would drive and how fast they themselves would drive. . . . speeds on photos with a Dick Bruna sign were approximately 4 km/h lower than on the same photos without a Dick Bruna sign and speeds were not significantly lower when a neutral sign such as an advertisement was visible. In the second study speeds were measured during seven consecutive weeks on five experimental roads and five comparison roads. On the experimental roads, during the week 3–5 a Dick Bruna sign was placed. Controlled for developments in speed on the comparison roads in the same period, mean speed was marginally significant lower.”  The “Dick Bruna” signs show human cartoon characters with large round heads and bodies.

Willem Vlakveld, Charles Goldenbeld, and Jolieke De Groot.  2022. “Road Signs Depicting Childrens’s Book Illustrations Temporarily Reduce Speed on Urban Roads.” Transportation Research Part F:  Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, vol. 87, pp. 236-248, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2022.04.005

Hammond and team studied the mental health benefits of encountering (seeing or hearing birds). They relate that they “used the Urban Mind smartphone application to examine the impact of seeing or hearing birds on self-reported mental wellbeing in real-life contexts. A sample of 1292 participants completed a total of 26,856 ecological momentary assessments between April 2018 and October 2021. Everyday encounters with birdlife were associated with time-lasting improvements in mental wellbeing. These improvements were evident not only in healthy people but also in those with a diagnosis of depression, the most common mental illness across the world. . . . Specific measures, aimed at preserving and increasing everyday encounters with birdlife in urban areas, should be implemented.” Research Design Connections regularly shares info on studies reporting the positive effects of hearing birdsongs (even indoors via nature soundscapes) on wellbeing and cognitive performance.

Ryan Hammond, Stefania Tognin, Lucie Burgess, Nicol Bergou, Michael Smythe, Johanna Gibbons Neil Davidson, Alia Afifi, Ioannis Bakolis, and Andrea Mechelli.  2022. “Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Reveals Mental Health Benefits of Birdlife.” Scientific Reports, vol. 12, no. 17589, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20207-6

Anyone who is familiar with Ulrich’s work in the 1980’s won’t be surprised by a study presented at the 2022 Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress. Researchers associated with the University of Michigan found via analyzing data from nearly 4,000 patients at one hospital who had undergone high-risk surgical procedures that patient “Room features that influenced clinical outcomes after surgery included distance from a nursing station, single room occupancy, and having a direct line of sight where clinicians can see into the room.  After adjusting for patient comorbidities and complexity of the operation, mortality rates were 20% higher . . . if patients were admitted to a hospital room without a window than if they were put in a room with a window. For patients staying in a room without a window, 30-day mortality rates were 10% higher. . . . When the authors looked at different rooms based on the favorable design features, it became clear that the sicker patients were more likely to get single rooms, closer to a nursing station and within direct line of sight, and a window view.”

“Hospital Room Features May Impact Clinical Outcomes for Patients After Surgery.”  2022.  Press release, American College of Surgeons, https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/news-publications/news-a…

Wang, Yang, and Zheng studied how the appearance of hot sauces influences how spicy we perceive them to be.  They determined that “red hot sauce still generates the strongest expected spiciness. Higher saturation of hot sauce color and roughness of the sauce also lead to stronger, expected spiciness.” 

Han Wang, Guangyu Yang, and Chundong Zheng. 2022. “The Cross-Modal Effect of Color and Roughness on the Perception of Spiciness.”  Journal of Sensory Studies, https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12791

Marchesi and colleagues studied the implications of humanoid robot behavior.  They found that “humans are more prone to adopt the intentional stance after having interacted with a more socially available and human-like robot, while no modulation of the adoption of the intentional stance emerged toward a mechanistic robot [e.g., one that interacts in a machine-like way, with repetitive movements]. We conclude that short experiences with humanoid robots presumably inducing a ‘like-me’ impression and social bonding increase the likelihood of adopting the intentional stance.” An intentional stance is believing that the robots are “thinking” and behaving intentionally in ways that move beyond how they have been programmed to act. Simply designing a robot to look like a human alone does not drive us to think that that robot is capable of human-like “thinking” and behaving. 

Serena Marchesi, Davide De Tommaso, Jairo Perez-Osorio and Agnieszka Wykowska.  “The Likelihood of Adopting the Intentional Stance Toward a Humanoid Robot.”  Technology, Mind, and Behavior, in press, https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000072