Interactive effects of emotional perception in university interior spaces: An empirical exploration based on the PAD model and multi-sensory simulation

University classrooms and meeting spaces have been regarded as crucial to the research on how interior spatial features could influence students’ emotional experiences. This study examined how colour, material and transparency, alone and in combination, could shape students’ affective responses in university classrooms and meeting rooms. This objective was achieved by constructing a virtual reality (VR) experimental platform and through physiological signal measurements, photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrodermal activity (EDA). Furthermore, a three-process experimental design (immersive environments, multimodal assessment and data processing) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were introduced. These were used to systematically compare the interaction effects of various variable combinations on emotional indicators such as pleasure, arousal and dominance (PAD). The findings showed that colour, material and transparency interact with each other to a significant extent. Notably, positive emotional experiences were significantly enhanced by various combinations such as “orange colour + metal material”, whereas negative emotions and psychological tension were possibly evoked by “blue colour + metal material”. On this basis, it was concluded that the integration of multiple factors in university teaching and communication interior spaces is essential for optimized emotional regulation.