CHOICE, PERCEIVED CONTROL, AND PERFORMANCE DECREMENTS IN THE PHYSICAL-ENVIRONMENT

Psychologists and environmental designers have asserted that the provi sion of choices in the physical environment will lead to desirable out comes for employees, such as better performance and improved mood. Thi s assertion, applied to workstation lighting, was tested using a 2x2 C hoice (over lighting)xPreference (for lighting) factorial design with an additional no-treatment comparison group. Male and female undergrad uates participated in 2-h sessions during which they completed mood an d perceived control scales and several intellectual and creativity tas ks. As expected, subjects in the choice and preference-given condition s reported more perceived control than those under no-choice and prefe rence-denied conditions. However, contrary to conventional wisdom, sub jects given choice performed more poorly and more slowly than subjects not given choice, at least on the creativity task. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited