Purpose: Social stress is a psychological and biological pressure that stems from one's relationship with others in social environments, which has become the most serious humanitarian issue today. Learning environments are one of the most important environments for reducing or increasing social stress and concentration. This study aims to…

The likelihood of teaching a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has steadily increased over the past two decades. However, the practical information about working with students with ASD has not increased at a similar rate. Teachers may therefore be unaware of simple modifications they can make to their classrooms to meet the needs of…

Contrarily to color research, white values of paint are the most commonly applied finish selection on classroom walls today. White walls have been used in American schoolhouse settings since the first discovered paint, also white, was invented and made available some two hundred years ago. Originally, white paint was seen as hygienic and…

The following paper assesses the roles played by semiotics in graphic design and in graphic design education, which both reflects and shapes practice. It identifies a series of factors; graphic design education methods and culture; semiotic theories themselves and their application to graphic design; the two wings of Peircian semiotics and…

To deter cheating, teachers commonly use exams printed on differently colored paper or with varied question orders. Previous studies, however, reported that paper color and question order affect exam performance and suggested that teachers should adjust students' scores accordingly and discontinue the use of alternate exam forms. We conducted 2…

Recent research indicates that by 4.5 months, infants use shape and size information as the basis for individuating objects but that it is not until 11.5 months that they use color information for this purpose. The present experiments investigated the extent to which infants' sensitivity to color information could be increased through select…

Participants were required to detect spot stimuli briefly presented to the upper, central, or lower visual fields. The stimuli were presented either on a green or a red background. Results showed that reaction time (RT) was shorter for the lower visual field (LVF) compared to the upper visual field (UVF). Furthermore, this LVF advantage was…

This study unites investigations into the linguistic relativity of color categories with research on children's category acquisition. Naming, comprehension, and memory for colors were tracked in 2 populations over a 3-year period. Children from a seminomadic equatorial African culture, whose language contains 5 color terms, were compared with a…

A historical perspective of the use of color on both the interior and exterior of buildings. (Author/MLF)

In order to judge or design the lighting of an interior a person must be able to understand and take into account many aspects of seeing and illumination. Important areas of consideration are--(1) factors that contribute to the visibility of an object: size, brightness, contrast, and time, (2) radiant energy with regard to the visible spectrums of…

The effects of varied lighting and coloring in the classroom environment were examined on the behavior of seven severely handicapped 8 to 11 year olds with behavior problems. Analysis of changes in systolic blood pressure indicated that Ss were more comfortable and relaxed in the experimental room (in which the fluorescent lights were replaced by…

Summarizes findings of an Alberta light/color study that looked at mood, noise levels, IQ test scores, blood pressure, and absences under fluorescent or full-spectrum light in two color schemes in four elementary schools with 700 students. (MLF)

Describes a research project that will measure whether student achievement, blood pressure, height, and weight gain are influenced by the choice of color and/or the source of artificial light in the classroom. Four third-grade classrooms will be the treatment groups involving two colors and three different artificial light sources. (MLF)

Presents a general overview of various light-related findings with implications for the computer assisted learning environment. Suggests that software developed for instructional purposes incorporate color to maximize visual sensitivity and retention of information while minimizing visual fatigue. (Author/JN)

Elementary students were asked to find 12 colors and 5 sounds in their immediate natural environment and to describe in writing where they saw each color in relationship to themselves. The writings formed a type of poetry which expressed involvement with and observation of the environment. (CM)