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Have you ever wondered how researchers measure something as subjective as your comfort in a building? The latest episode of Air Quality Matters takes a surprising step back from specific pollutants to examine one of the most fundamental yet overlooked tools in indoor environmental research: the questionnaire.

When scientists ask you to rate how stuffy a room feels or how comfortable the temperature is, they're relying on scales and questions that may be fundamentally flawed. Marcel Schweiker's paper "10 questions concerning the usage of subjective assessment scales" exposes the messy reality behind these seemingly simple measurements. From the "wild west" of inconsistent scales across studies to the profound problems of language translation, we discover why comparing results between different research projects is nearly impossible under current practices.

The episode dives deep into the philosophical core of measurement itself. What are we actually capturing when someone circles a number on a comfort scale? Rather than obtaining clean data, we're glimpsing a complex psychological construct filtered through cultural expectations, sense of control, and even social desirability bias. A person who knows they can open a window will perceive air quality differently than someone who feels trapped in the same conditions. The podcast explores alternative measurement approaches including physiological signals and behavior observation, but concludes that questionnaires remain essential - if properly designed.

For anyone interested in buildings, air quality, or the science of human comfort, this episode offers a fascinating look at how the research community must evolve to better capture our messy, subjective experience of indoor environments. It's a call for more thoughtful, critical approaches to the science that shapes the buildings where we spend 90% of our lives. Listen now to gain a fresh perspective on what it truly means to measure comfort in the built environment.

Ten questions concerning the usage of subjective assessment scales in research on indoor environmental quality

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