The Sensor Hub for Detecting the Developmental Characteristics in Reading in Children on a White vs. Colored...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Color significantly influences reading skills by affecting emotional and physiological states.
• Previous research highlights the role of environmental factors in cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of background and overlay colors on reading in school-age children.
• To assess developmental differences in reading performance and physiological responses between second and third graders.
• To evaluate electroencephalography (EEG), ocular, electrodermal activity (EDA), and heart rate variability (HRV) during reading tasks.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four school-age children participated in the study.
• EEG, ocular activity, EDA, and HRV were measured during reading tasks with varying background and overlay colors.
• Reading duration and eye-tracking data were collected.

Main Results:

• Younger children (second graders) showed a decreasing trend in EEG power bands (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Theta) with age.
• Second graders exhibited lower reading duration and eye-tracking scores compared to third graders.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were higher in second graders, correlating with stress levels indicated by EDA, with turquoise and blue backgrounds showing a calming effect.

Conclusions:

• Age-related developmental differences in reading and physiological responses were observed.
• Specific colors, namely turquoise and blue, demonstrated a calming effect on younger students.
• While some color-specific effects were noted, overall systematic differences across various parameters were not consistently found.