研究發現，如果考場的天花板太高，學生可能會難以集中注意力，進而影響學生的考試成績。

New research has found a link between the height of ceilings in exam halls and the performance of students, which might sound a bit crazy, but makes more and more sense as you think about it.
新研究發現，考試大廳的天花板高度與學生的考試成績之間存在聯系，這看起來有些不可思議，但仔細想想卻很有道理。

While the shape of a room can't compensate for your lack of revision or make you any smarter than you were before, we do know that the environments we're in have an effect on us. That includes our ability to concentrate and work on mental tasks.
雖然房間的形狀不能彌補復習不足或提高智商，但我們知道，環境確實對我們有影響，包括我們的專注力和處理腦力任務的能力。

The authors of the study, from the University of South Australia and Deakin University in Australia, suggest that big and open rooms, with high ceilings, are making it harder for students to focus on what's in front of them.
這項由南澳大學和迪肯大學的研究人員開展的研究表明，大而空曠的房間、高高的天花板會讓學生更難集中注意力。

A previous study from some of the same researchers, making use of brain mapping technology and virtual reality, had found a relationship between cognitive ability and the perceived size of a person's surroundings. Here, the team wanted to do some real-world testing.
此前，同一研究團隊的一項研究利用腦圖技術和虛擬現實發現了認知能力與人們感知到的周圍環境大小之間的關系。這次，團隊希望進行一些現實世界的測試。

"We were curious to apply our lab findings to a real-world dataset and see if being in a large space like a gymnasium while having to concentrate on an important task would result in a poorer performance," says environmental psychologist Isabella Bower from the University of South Australia.
南澳大學的環境心理學家伊莎貝拉·鮑爾表示：“我們好奇將實驗室的發現應用到現實世界的數據集中，看看在一個像體育館這樣的大空間中專注于重要任務是否會導致表現較差。”

The study analyzed exam results from 15,400 students over eight years and across three campuses, referencing their scores against what was expected based on the coursework they'd previously submitted.
研究分析了8年間三個校區15400名學生的考試成績，并將這些成績與基于他們之前提交的課程作業得出的預期分數進行對比。

In exam rooms with elevated ceilings, students tended to underperform compared to those taking exams in rooms with a 'standard' ceiling height, even after accounting for age, gender, time of year, exam subject, and prior exam experience – other factors that could potentially affect the results.
結果發現，在天花板較高的考試房間里，學生的表現往往不如在“標準”高度天花板房間里的學生，即使考慮了年齡、性別、考試時間、考試科目和之前的考試經驗等可能影響成績的因素。

However, what we can't yet be sure about is whether the actual dimensions of the room are having an effect, or whether it's something else related to the environment – like the temperature or humidity inside the space, or even how many other students there are.
然而，我們尚不能確定是否房間的實際尺寸在起作用，還是與環境有關的其他因素，比如空間內的溫度或濕度，甚至是房間內其他學生的數量。

"These spaces are often designed for purposes other than examinations, such as gymnasiums, exhibitions, events, and performances," says Bower.
鮑爾說：“這些空間通常是為體育館、展覽、活動和表演等用途設計的，而不是專門為考試設計的。”

"The key point is that large rooms with high ceilings seem to disadvantage students and we need to understand what brain mechanisms are at play, and whether this affects all students to the same degree."
“關鍵是大房間和高天花板似乎讓學生處于不利地位，我們需要了解其中的腦機制，以及這是否對所有學生都有同樣的影響。”

Those are questions that future research can try to find out. It's clear though that environment matters – and that we might not be giving students the best chance for success by holding exams in rooms that aren't custom-built for the purpose.
這些問題需要未來的研究來解答。不過很明顯，環境很重要——如果我們不在專門為考試設計的房間里舉行考試，我們可能沒有給學生提供最好的成功機會。

"Examinations have been a key part of our education system for over 1,300 years, shaping students' career paths and lives," says educational psychologist Jaclyn Broadbent from Deakin University.
迪肯大學的教育心理學家杰克林·布羅德本特說：“考試在我們的教育體系中已有1300多年的歷史。考試塑造了學生的職業道路和人生，是教育體系的關鍵部分。”

"It's crucial to recognise the potential impact of the physical environment on student performance and make necessary adjustments to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to succeed."
“認識到物理環境對學生表現的潛在影響并做出必要的調整，以確保所有學生都有平等的成功機會，這是至關重要的。”

The research has been published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
該研究發表在《環境心理學期刊》上。

英文來源：Science Alert

編譯：丹妮

審校：董靜、齊磊