Buildings, beauty, and the brain: psychological responses to architectural design

People today spend most of their lives in buildings. The design of the built environment can impact mood, behavior, and wellbeing. The evidence discussed in Chapter 1 suggests that the perceived beauty of an environment may influence wellbeing more than any single design variable considered in isolation. Some researchers have leveraged empirical methods of neuroscience and psychology to identify aesthetic features of architecture that support healthy psychological experiences. However, this line of inquiry faces persistent challenges in terms of a) measuring the environment itself and b) evaluating acute psychological responses relevant to design. This dissertation addresses both of these gaps in the literature by using pattern theory and image statistics to quantify aesthetic properties of architectural scenes (Chapters 4-5), and by advancing our understanding of how specific neural networks and psychological processes contribute to architectural experience (Chapters 2-3). Chapter 2 outlines the first neuroscientific model of architectural encounters. According to this aesthetic triad framework, three large-scale neural systems generate aesthetic experiences in the built environment: sensorimotor, emotion-valuation, and knowledge-meaning systems. The chapter explores how design features interact with each of these neural systems to influence mental states and behaviors and investigates how emerging technologies like virtual reality and brain imaging could be leveraged in future research on the neuroscience of architecture. Building from this neural model, Chapter 3 investigates the core psychological dimensions of architectural experience within the context of the aesthetic triad framework. In a pair of experiments, participants rated architectural images on a series of diverse psychological measures. A Principal Components Analysis yielded three components that explained most of the variance in ratings: fluency (ease with which one organizes and comprehends a scene), fascination (a scene’s informational richness and generated interest), and hygge (extent to which the scene reflects a warm, personal environment). Whereas fluency and fascination are well-established dimensions in assessing natural scenes and visual art, hygge emerged as a new dimension in relation to architectural scenes. In Chapters 4 and 5, the focus shifts from measuring the brain to measuring the environment. Specifically, these chapters investigate whether people are innately attuned to nature-like visual patterns in architecture. Chapter 4 introduces Christopher Alexander’s theory of natural structure and reviews past literature linking biophilic design and wellbeing. In Chapter 5, a series of experiments are presented suggesting that subjective perceptions of naturalness are strongly predicted by low-level visual features of architectural scenes. Furthermore, naturalistic scaling and contrast features – two of Alexander’s proposed patterns of natural structure – are found to reliably predict similarity evaluations (derived from an image arrangement task) and aesthetic preference ratings of architectural scenes. The results of a final experiment suggest that preferences for nature-like architectural patterns may be associated with feelings of comfort and excitement that such patterns generate. This research adds to a growing body of literature showing how aesthetic qualities of architecture impact human experiences. Novel theoretical frameworks are proposed for researchers to contextualize empirical studies on the psychology and neuroscience of architecture. New methods of image analysis are also used to quantify aesthetic properties of the built environment and to investigate how nature-like patterns in architecture influence psychological experiences. Together, these chapters provide new insight into the psychological influence of our physical surroundings, and they offer new research tools to inform the design of beautiful and brain-friendly buildings.Cambridge International Scholarship (Cambridge Trusts

Investigating Automatic Measurements of Prosodic Accommodation and Its Dynamics in Social Interaction

Spoken dialogue systems are increasingly being used to facilitate and enhance human communication. While these interactive systems can process the linguistic aspects of human communication, they are not yet capable of processing the complex dynamics involved in social interaction, such as the adaptation on the part of interlocutors. Providing interactive systems with the capacity to process and exhibit this accommodation could however improve their efficiency and make machines more socially-competent interactants. At present, no automatic system is available to process prosodic accommodation, nor do any clear measures exist that quantify its dynamic manifestation. While it can be observed to be a monotonically manifest property, it is our hypotheses that it evolves dynamically with functional social aspects. In this paper, we propose an automatic system for its measurement and the capture of its dynamic manifestation. We investigate the evolution of prosodic accommodation in 41 Japanese dyadic telephone conversations and discuss its manifestation in relation to its functions in social interaction. Overall, our study shows that prosodic accommodation changes dynamically over the course of a conversation and across conversations, and that these dynamics inform about the naturalness of the conversation flow, the speakers’ degree of involvement and their affinity in the conversation

The Utility of Measures of Attention and Situation Awareness for Quantifying Telepresence

Telepresence is defined as the sensation of being present at a remote robot task site while physically present at a local control station. This concept has received substantial attention in the recent past as a result of hypothesized benefits of presence experiences on human task performance with teleoperation systems. Human factors research, however, has made little progress in establishing a relationship between the concept of telepresence and teleoperator performance. This has been attributed to the multidimensional nature of telepresence, the lack of appropriate studies to elucidate this relationship, and the lack of a valid and reliable, objective measure of telepresence. Subjective measures (e.g., questionnaires, rating scales) are most commonly used to measure telepresence. Objective measures have been proposed, including behavioral responses to stimuli presented in virtual worlds (e.g. ducking virtual objects). Other research has suggested use of physiological measures, such as cardiovascular responses to indicate the extent of telepresence experiences in teleoperation tasks. The objective of the present study was to assess the utility of using measures of attention allocation and situation awareness (SA) to objectively describe telepresence. Attention and SA have been identified as cognitive constructs potentially underlying telepresence experiences. Participants in this study performed a virtual mine neutralization task involving remote control of a simulated robotic rover and integrated tools to locate, uncover, and dispose of mines. Subjects simultaneously completed two secondary tasks that required them to monitor for low battery signals associated with operation of the vehicle and controls. Subjects were divided into three groups of eight according to task difficulty, which was manipulated by varying the number, and spacing, of mines in the task environment. Performance was measured as average time to neutralize four mines. Telepresence was assessed using a Presence questionnaire. Situation awareness was measured using the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique. Attention was measured as a ratio of the number of ?low battery signal detections to the total number of signals presented through the secondary task displays. Analysis of variance results revealed level of difficulty to significantly affect performance time and telepresence. Regression analysis revealed level of difficulty, immersive tendencies, and attention to explain significant portions of the variance in telepresence

Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Social Eye Gaze

Social interactions are characterised by exchanges of a variety of social signals to communicate with other people. A key feature in real-life interactions is that we are in the presence of other people who can see us (audience), and we modulate our behaviour to send and receive signals (audience effect). Although social neuroscience research has traditionally examined how we respond to pictures and videos of humans, second-person neuroscience suggests that interactions with pre-recorded versus live people recruit distinct neurocognitive mechanisms. The aim of this thesis was to investigate which cognitive and neural mechanisms underlie changes in behaviour when being watched, particularly focusing on eye gaze, facial displays and prosocial behaviour as social signals. Using a novel ecologically valid paradigm, the first study showed that the opportunity to signal good reputation is a key modulator of eye gaze and prosocial behaviour. Using the same paradigm, the second study found no evidence to support the hypothesis that audience effects are mediated by an increase in self-referential processing. The third study focused on the time-course of eye gaze and facial displays patterns in relation to speech, both in typical and autistic individuals: contrary to what was expected both groups modulated eye gaze and facial displays according to the belief in being watched and speaker/listener role. Finally, the fourth study tested the role of reciprocity in live interactions: sharing information with a partner modulated eye gaze, facial displays, and brain activity in regions related to mentalising and decision-making. I discuss the theoretical implications of these findings and set out a cognitive model of gaze processing in live interactions. Finally, I outline directions for future research in social neuroscience

The Natural-Built Distinction in Environmental Preference and Restoration:Bottom-Up and Top-Down Explanations

People tend to find natural environments more aesthetically appealing and restorative than human-made or built environments. It is widely assumed that this natural-built distinction in environmental preference and restoration stems to a large extent from bottom-up sensory processing of intrinsic characteristics of nature that may have signaled adaptive values during human evolution. This view of nature as a unique, irreplaceable source of health and well-being has motivated the greening of cities and other initiatives to reconnect people with nature. But how strong is the empirical support for a bottom-up account of positive responses to nature? This chapter critically reviews the empirical evidence in view of alternative explanations in terms of top-down influences of culturally transmitted views and personally learned positive experiences with nature. It is tentatively concluded that the available empirical evidence appears to be in favor of top-down, rather than bottom-up, accounts of the natural-built distinction in both environmental preferences and restorative effects. In accordance with recent insights relating to the immune system regulating functions of direct physical contact with nature, the chapter concludes with suggestions for future research focusing on top-down, resilience-building experiences with nature.</p

Measuring prefrontal cortex response to virtual reality exposure therapy in freely moving participants

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of phobias; yet little is known about its underlying neural mechanisms. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that both traditional exposure therapy and virtual reality exposure therapy normalise brain activity within a prefrontal - amygdalar fear circuit after the treatment. However, the previous studies employed technologies that perhaps impact on ecological validity and naturalness of experience. Moreover, there are no studies investigating what is happening in the brain within a virtual reality session. This PhD takes a multidisciplinary approach and draws upon research areas of cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, and virtual reality. The approach is twofold - developmental and experimental. A key methodological objective was to maximise ecological validity by allowing freedom of movement and sight of one’s own body. This was approached by combining wearable fNIRS within Immersive Projection Technology (IPT). The stimulus was adapted from a classic VR experiment - Pit Room. The scope of this PhD includes three experiments. The first pilot experiment tested the potential of combining the wearable Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) device – NIRSport, with virtual reality (VR) display - CAVE-like Immersive Projection Technology (IPT) system – Octave. The aim was to test the feasibility of the protocol in terms of the design, integration of technology, and signal to noise ratio in the Pit Room study, which involved measuring brain response during exposure to heights in virtual reality. The study demonstrated that brain activity could be measured in IPT without a significant signal interference. Although there was no significant change in brain activity during exposure to virtual heights, the study found trends toward increased HbO in the prefrontal cortex. The second study investigated the brain activity indicative of fear inhibition and cognitive reappraisal within a single session of VRET in healthy controls. The heart rate was also measured as an indicator of emotional arousal (fear response) during the VRET session. 27 healthy volunteers were exposed to heights in virtual reality. Changes in oxygenated haemoglobin concentration in the prefrontal cortex were measured in three blocks using a wireless fNIRS, and heart rate was measured using a wireless psychophysiological monitor. Results revealed increased HbO concentration in the DLPFC and MPFC during exposure to the fear-evoking VR, consistent with fear inhibition and cognitive reappraisal measured in previous neuroimaging studies that had not used VR. Within-session brain activity was measured at much higher temporal resolution than in previous studies. Consistent with previous studies, a trend showed an increase of brain activity in the DLPFC indicative of cognitive reappraisal at the beginning of the session. Then additionally the MPFC was activated consistent with fear inhibition. The heart rate showed a trend towards a gradual decrease within a session. The aim of the third study was to investigate the neural basis of VRET in an acrophobic population. In particular, the study focused on measuring functional brain activity associated with both within- and between-session learning. Psychophysiological monitoring was also employed to measure levels of emotional arousal within- and between sessions. 13 acrophobic volunteers took part in three-session VRET for a fear of heights. Changes in HbO in the prefrontal cortex were measured in three blocks to investigate within–session brain activity and across three sessions to investigate between-session inhibitory learning. Results demonstrated that phobic participants have decreased activity in the DLPFC and MPFC at the beginning, however, after three sessions of VRET, activity in these brain areas increased towards normal (measured in healthy controls). Although there was no within-session learning during the first and second session, the study found a significant increase in the DLPFC at the beginning of a session. During the second block, additionally, the MPFC was activated. The magnitude of brain activity in those regions was negatively correlated with the initial level of acrophobia. Due to the technical difficulties, no significant results were found in psychophysiological measures. However, subjective fear ratings decreased significantly within- and between sessions. Moreover, participants who felt more present demonstrated stronger results in brain activity at the end of VRET. This is the first project that investigated the neural correlates of fear inhibition and inhibitory learning by combining a VR display in which people can move around and see their body, with wearable neural imaging that gave a reasonable compromise between spatial and temporal resolution. This project has an application in widening access to immersive neuroimaging across understanding, diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of, a range of mental disorders such as phobia, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. An application that is receiving an interest in the clinical community is repeatable, direct and quantifiable assessment within clinics, to diagnose, steer treatment and measure treatment outcome