Psychological and physiological colour impacts on Malay students in the university hostel environment / Nurlelawati Ab. Jalil

Colour is an environmental stimulus that exerts an influence on human beings in a multitude of ways. The colour effect has been abundantly unequivocally demonstrated in previous research on the integration of multimodal approaches, such as from the psychological, performance and non-performance and preferences assessments. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted locally on the university students with the integration of physiological assessment and consideration of subjects' living ecology, this being particularly true in the field of design. The fact that no specific colour scheme recommended for the interior of public buildings and double standard perceptions of the importance of visual stimulations are contributing to the monotonous looks at most hostel rooms in public universities. The condition becomes a norm to the students although numerous of research has posited the view that environmental stimuli are correlated with better performances and engagements while the existing white environment contributes to salient negative implications. Worse, inappropriate colours could cause low performances; indirectly affecting moods, dysphoria or depression and health problems among others. In this regards, physiology is another option in understanding the nature of human's responses to their environments and, in this context, the coloured environment. This is because studies have postulated that colours are detectable in other modality, such as through parasympathetic activities and sympathetic activities, in the human autonomic nervous system (ANS). The aim of this study was to propose an optimal colour for the hostel environment of female university students from their heart rate responses. The objectives of this study were to identify the colour effects of four coloured environments and its effect patterns in a specific duration of exposures across various lengths of exposures. It also intended to determine the appropriate colours for the hostel rooms that evidently significant in performance, physiologically as well as psychologically. The colours used were strong red, bluish-green, pink - as it is the most preferred colours among female students obtained from a conducted survey, and white as the existing students' environment. A test and re-test method of assignment were conducted to 24 female students in their coloured rooms or ecology, and changes in their performance, emotional responses and physiological responses were recorded. They were divided according to three types of exposures; short-term exposure, longterm exposure with one to two weeks of stay, and sustainable exposure, where subjects live in the coloured rooms for more than three weeks. The results showed that each colour has different effects with positive changes over time. In fact, some of the colours were capable of overturning adverse influences into positive responses. Based on the consistency patterns and their advantages points, the findings found that the bluish green colour is the most appropriate colour for longer to sustainable dwelling periods and therefore is the most suitable for the hostel room for this focused group. Based on the differences found in each colour, this study has suggested a few recommendations that can possibly contribute to a better stimulating coloured environment. Findings from the study may become the best practice for designers as well as universities' management themselves in designing conducive learning environment for better students' engagements and productivities.