Biomaterial Database

Experimental study of the influence of anticipated control on human thermal sensation and thermal comfort. 2014

X Zhou, and Q Ouyang, and Y Zhu, and C Feng, and X Zhang

College of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China; Department of Building Science, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

To investigate whether occupants' anticipated control of their thermal environment can influence their thermal comfort and to explain why the acceptable temperature range in naturally ventilated environments is greater than that in air-conditioned environments, a series of experiments were conducted in a climate chamber in which the thermal environment remained the same but the psychological environment varied. The results of the experiments show that the ability to control the environment can improve occupants' thermal sensation and thermal comfort. Specifically, occupants' anticipated control decreased their thermal sensation vote (TSV) by 0.4-0.5 and improved their thermal comfort vote (TCV) by 0.3-0.4 in neutral-warm environment. This improvement was due exclusively to psychological factors. In addition, having to pay the cost of cooling had no significant influence on the occupants' thermal sensation and thermal comfort in this experiment. Thus, having the ability to control the thermal environment can improve occupants' comfort even if there is a monetary cost involved.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011589	Psychology, Experimental	The branch of psychology which seeks to learn more about the fundamental causes of behavior by studying various psychologic phenomena in controlled experimental situations.	Experimental Psychology,Experimental Psychologies,Psychologies, Experimental
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000389	Air Conditioning	The maintenance of certain aspects of the environment within a defined space to facilitate the function of that space; aspects controlled include air temperature and motion, radiant heat level, moisture, and concentration of pollutants such as dust, microorganisms, and gases. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Air Revitalization,Climate Control,Air Conditionings,Air Revitalizations,Climate Controls,Conditioning, Air,Conditionings, Air,Control, Climate,Controls, Climate,Revitalization, Air,Revitalizations, Air
D013697	Thermosensing	The sensation of cold, heat, coolness, and warmth as detected by THERMORECEPTORS.	Temperature Sense,Sense, Temperature,Thermosensings
D055815	Young Adult	A person between 19 and 24 years of age.	Adult, Young,Adults, Young,Young Adults
D064368	Healthy Volunteers	Persons with no known significant health problems who are recruited to participate in research to test a new drug, device, or intervention as controls for a patient group. (from http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/recruit/volunteers.html, accessed 2/14/2013)	Healthy Participants,Healthy Subjects,Human Volunteers,Normal Volunteers,Healthy Participant,Healthy Subject,Healthy Volunteer,Human Volunteer,Normal Volunteer,Participant, Healthy,Participants, Healthy,Subject, Healthy,Subjects, Healthy,Volunteer, Healthy,Volunteer, Human,Volunteer, Normal,Volunteers, Human,Volunteers, Normal