EFFECTS OF THE FOLIAGE PLANT ON TASK PERFORMANCE AND MOOD

In this study we investigate the effect of leafy plants on subjects' task performance and mood. As independent variables, two types of tasks and several room arrangements were used. There was an association or a sorting task and the room was arranged either with the plant placed in front of the subjects, to the side of the subjects, or with no plant placed in the room. Gender was also considered as a variable for analysis. Undergraduate students (F=63,M =83) performed either the association task or the sorting task under one of the three room arrangements. The association task was to create no more than 30 words for 20 different items. The sorting task was to sort 180 index cards into Japanese syllabary order. As for the task performance, Room×Gender interaction was significant in the scores of the association task (p<0·05). Male subjects working without plants performed worse than female subjects under the same conditions (p<0·01). Moreover, the task performances of the male subjects using the front arrangement were higher than that of the male subjects working without plants (p<0·10). It was concluded that the presence of the plants affected the association task more than the sorting task, and male subjects more than female subjects. It was also suggested that the presence of the leafy plants might affects creative work positively.