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Luminance and saliency have impact on pedestrians’ fixation distribution during natural walking: Evidence from mobile eye-tracker

Published in Lighting Research & Technology, 2021

The general environmental factors that influence fixation distribution as part of pedestrian visual behaviour under natural conditions are unclear. Relative luminance and saliency are considered the parameters for predicting image-based fixation; however, they are not confirmed by evidence from the natural walking scenario. Field experiments using mobile eye-tracking glasses device were conducted on 16 participants in four commercial streets during day and night. Fixation data along with processed images extracted from eye-tracking glass video were analysed to investigate if relative luminance or saliency correlates with fixation distribution while walking. The results show that fixations within a 10° viewing angle were distributed in bright and more salient areas in the field of vision. Statistical analyses found a stronger positive correlation in saliency than in relative luminance and at night-time rather than under daylight. The correlation found between relative luminance/saliency and fixation distribution suggests that relative luminance/saliency may attract the visual attention of pedestrians. It will be beneficial for practical applications via a better visual environment, including lighting and guiding facilities for pedestrians, especially at night.

Recommended citation: Jiang, X., Li, J., & Yang, B. (2021). Luminance and saliency have impact on pedestrians’ fixation distribution during natural walking: Evidence from mobile eye-tracker. Lighting Research & Technology, 53(4), 359-372. http://jianli-2089.github.io/files/LRT_1.pdf

Effects of the spatialisation of water-sounds sequences on the perception of traffic noise

Published in Vibrations in Physical Systems,, 2022

In the last decades, different researchers have shown the positive effects of informational masking(IM) on mitigating traffic noise perception and improving the local soundscape in urban parks. Most of these studies have tested various water sounds at different signal-to-noise ratios to optimise the selection and the sound levels to set the water sounds playback. However, less is known about the effects of the spatial distribution and movement of water sounds on the perception of the surrounding environment. Three different water-sounds sequences, and one control condition with only traffic noise, were created and used in an online experiment to investigate the role of spatialisation of water-sounds sequences. The sequences include a frontal fixed-position water sound, a two-position switching water sound and a four-positionrandomised moving water sound. All of them were superimposed with a background traffic noise. Thirtysix subjects participated and answered an online questionnaire consisting of sets of items to describe the sound’s perception and feeling. The Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS-11) was also administered. The results have shown that introducing water-sounds sequences improves some components of the restorative qualities (Fascination and Being-Away). Moreover, different spatialisation settings of water sounds proved to modify people’s perception and feelings in different aspects, including attractiveness, smoothness,mechanicalness, stimulation, and nervousness.

Recommended citation: Li, J., Maffei, L., Pascale, A., & Masullo, M. (2022). Effects of the spatialisation of water-sounds sequences on the perception of traffic noise. Vibrations in Physical Systems, 33(1). http://jianli-2089.github.io/files/VPS_1.pdf

Effects of spatialized water-sound sequences for traffic noise masking on brain activities

Published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2022

Informational masking of water sounds has been proven effective in mitigating traffic noise perception with different sound levels and signal-to-noise ratios, but less is known about the effects of the spatial distribution of water sounds on the perception of the surrounding environment and corresponding psychophysical responses. Three different spatial settings of water-sound sequences with a traffic noise condition were used to investigate the role of spatialization of water-sound sequences on traffic noise perception. The neural responses of 20 participants were recorded by a portable electroencephalogram (EEG) device during the spatial sound playback time. The mental effects and attention process related to informational masking were assessed by the analysis of the EEG spectral power distribution and sensor-level functional connectivity along with subjective assessments. The results showed higher relative power of the alpha band and greater alpha-beta ratio among water-sound sequence conditions compared to traffic noise conditions, which confirmed the increased relaxation on the mental state induced by the introduction of water sounds. Moreover, different spatial settings of water-sound sequences evoked different cognitive network responses. The setting of two-position switching water brought more attentional network activations than other water sequences related to the information masking process along with more positive subjective feelings.

Recommended citation: Li, J., Maffei, L., Pascale, A., & Masullo, M. (2022). Effects of spatialized water-sound sequences for traffic noise masking on brain activities. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 152(1), 172-183. http://jianli-2089.github.io/files/JASA_1.pdf

An Investigation of the Influence of the Night Lighting in a Urban Park on Individuals’ Emotions

Published in Sustainability, 2022

Outdoor urban lighting design is a complex issue. It involves multiple aspects (energy consumption, lighting pollution, aesthetics, and safety) that must be balanced to make sustainable decisions. Although the energy and environmental issues assumed a driving role in the optimization of the urban lighting design, its impact on the psychophysical well-being of individuals has received less attention. Artificial lighting has been shown to add several meanings to an individual’s experience of space: affective (affect, emotion, mood), cognitive (attention, imagination, perception), associative (memory, judgment), and motivational (closeness, openness, communication). Traditionally, studies on the effects of lighting on individuals’ emotions have mainly focused on indoor spaces, while the present study aims to investigate the influence of lighting on individuals’ emotions in an outdoor environment. Participants experienced a simulated urban park through virtual reality. Specifically, the urban park was shown with different combinations of overall illuminance (high vs medium vs low) and correlated colour temperature (CCT) (warm vs intermediate vs cool). For each combination, participants were asked to judge how they felt. In general, results showed that high-intensity cool light made participants more nervous, while warm light made individuals feel more tired and less motivated to explore the park. In contrast, an intermediate CCT at low or medium illuminance impacted individuals positively. Finally, it was found that participants’ mood predicted the impact that park lighting would have on them. These results suggest that assessing the influence of lighting on individuals’ emotions allows the decision-makers to implement the type of artificial lighting that will simultaneously safeguard both the well-being of individuals and the environment.

Recommended citation: Masullo, M., Cioffi, F., Li, J., Maffei, L., Scorpio, M., Iachini, T., ... & Ruotolo, F. (2022). An investigation of the influence of the night lighting in a urban park on individuals’ emotions. Sustainability, 14(14), 8556. http://jianli-2089.github.io/files/sustainability_v2.pdf

Urban Park Lighting Quality Perception: An Immersive Virtual Reality Experiment

Published in Sustainability, 2023

Green areas and parks are increasingly important in improving citizens’ physical and mental recovery. Lighting systems play a considerable role in affecting city park life and activities along with people’s moods and behavior in the evening and at night. Immersive virtual reality laboratory experiments may support urban and lighting research by providing information on the combination of lighting setup and visual context of existing or new urban parks. Gaze behaviors obtained from eye-tracking recordings and self-reported measurements using the perceived outdoor lighting quality questionnaire were used to determine the factors affecting human perception, comfort, and cognitive load, as the overall illuminance levels of the scene and correlated color temperature changes. Results pointed out that overall illuminance level and CCT significantly affect the perceived strength and comfort qualities of lighting with a dominance of the first compared with the latter when subjects were free to explore the lit environment. Low CCT and intermediate or high overall illuminance levels can improve the sense of accessibility as well as minimize the cognitive load.

Recommended citation: Masullo, M., Cioffi, F., Li, J., Maffei, L., Ciampi, G., Sibilio, S., & Scorpio, M. (2023). Urban Park Lighting Quality Perception: An Immersive Virtual Reality Experiment. Sustainability, 15(3), 2069. http://jianli-2089.github.io/files/sustainability_v1.pdf

Road traffic noise informational masking with water sound sequences: From laboratory simulation to field study.

Published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2023

Road traffic noise control in urban green space is a big concern for urban designers and public managers. The introduction of water sounds into noisy environment has been proven effective based on the soundscape approach. To extend more effective and applicable strategies for water sound informational masking, the exploration of the spatial settings of virtual water sound playbacks in urban parks were conducted both in the laboratory and field settings. Three different spatial water-sound sequences were added into the virtual noisy environment through an immersive spatial audio system and the real urban green park through the digital audio programming of bluetooth loudspeakers. The mental activities and subjective feelings of two group subjects were evaluated by a portable electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement with a post-doc questionnaire. The better masking effects introduced by the spatial settings of water sounds had been confirmed from the results of more positive emotional feedbacks and more relaxed mental state revealed by the spectral power of alpha band across two experimental conditions. Especially, the two-position switching water sounds brought more attentional network activations. Moreover, more sensory accumulation effects reflected by the mental network activations were observed from the brain activities in the in situ measurement compared to laboratory-setting.

Recommended citation: Li, J., Maffei, L., Pascale, A., Masullo, M., Lin, M., & Chau, C. K. (2023). Road traffic noise informational masking with water sound sequences: From laboratory simulation to field study. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153(3_supplement), A233-A233. https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/153/3_supplement/A233/2886132/Road-traffic-noise-informational-masking-with

Improving informational-attentional masking of water sound on traffic noise by spatial variation settings: An in situ study with brain activity measurements

Published in Applied Acoustics, 2024

According with soundscape strategies to improve the perception of the sound environment, laboratory studies have proven that introducing water sounds into urban spaces can be both an effective strategy for the informational-attentional masking of road traffic noise, and restorativeness creation. To extend previous laboratory findings and test the effectiveness and applicability of different spatial variations of water sounds in urban parks, a sound installation was prepared, and an experiment was conducted. Three different position-varied water-sound sequences were augmented into an existing University campus green park through surround sound design method with four Bluetooth loudspeakers. The mental effects and attention process were assessed by analyzing the EEG signals including aperiodic, oscillatory components and sensor-level functional connectivity, along with psychological scales. The water sounds played in-situ, brought more visual processing related to spatial attention and stimulus-driven salience. And the changes in the alpha band and the related theta/alpha ratio among four conditions showed more relaxation state induced by the introduction of water sounds, consistent with the positive effects on emotion saliency and perceived restorativeness. Moreover, different spatial variations of water sounds, especially for the two-position switching setting, modulated the activity of the attentional network related to the restoration process via the alpha-theta synchronization.

Recommended citation: Li, J., Masullo, M., Maffei, L., Pascale, A., Chau, C. K., & Lin, M. (2024). Improving informational-attentional masking of water sound on traffic noise by spatial variation settings: An in situ study with brain activity measurements. Applied Acoustics, 218, 109904. http://jianli-2089.github.io/files/APAC_v1.pdf