Paper Info
Title
Ambient persuasive technology needs little cognitive effort: the differential effects of cognitive load on lighting feedback versus factual feedback
Abstract
Persuasive technology can influence behavior or attitudes by for example providing interactive factual feedback about energy conservation. However, people often lack motivation or cognitive capacity to consciously process such relative complex information (e.g., numerical consumption feedback). Extending recent research that indicates that ambient persuasive technology can persuade the user without receiving the user’s conscious attention, we argue here that Ambient Persuasive Technology can be effective while needing only little cognitive resources, and in general can be more influential than more focal forms of persuasive technology. In an experimental study, some participants received energy consumption feedback by means of a light changing color (more green=lower energy consumption, vs. more red=higher energy consumption) and others by means of numbers indicating kWh consumption. Results indicated that ambient feedback led to more conservation than factual feedback. Also, as expected, only for participants processing factual feedback, additional cognitive load lead to slower processing of that feedback. This research sheds light on fundamental characteristics of Ambient Persuasive Technology and Persuasive Lighting, and suggests that it can have important advantages over more focal persuasive technologies without losing its persuasive potential.
Year
DOI
Venue
2010
10.1007/978-3-642-13226-1_14
PERSUASIVE
Keywords
Field
DocType
kwh consumption,cognitive load,cognitive effort,persuasive technology,energy consumption feedback,factual feedback,ambient persuasive technology,numerical consumption feedback,differential effect,ambient feedback,higher energy consumption,focal persuasive technology,interactive factual feedback,energy conservation
Social psychology,Persuasive technology,Cognitive resource theory,Cognitive effort,Energy conservation,Psychology,Cognitive load,Energy consumption
Conference
Volume
ISSN
ISBN
6137
0302-9743
3-642-13225-1
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
22
1.12
10
Authors
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Jaap Ham128424.10
Cees Midden224722.74