WINDOWS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CUES ON PERFORMANCE AND MOOD

Task type and the presence of windows and posters were manipulated to examine their effects on individuals' performance, mood, and perceptio ns. Male and female undergraduates worked either a filing, computation al, or creative task in a windowed or windowless room, with or without a poster (i.e., task-relevant cues). As predicted, the presence of wi ndows did not affect performance. Window presence increased perception s that the room was motivating and the likelihood that one looked abou t the room for help with the computational task. Unexpectedly, the num ber of errors on the computational task was reduced when the task-rele vant poster was present. Poster presence also increased positive mood and decreased fatigue perceptions for individuals performing the creat ive task. Overall, poster presence increased confidence. Because perce ptions of task demand were related to several outcome variables, the s timulation from windows and posters appears to interact with the task demand.