Environmental Psychology

• Environment


  The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area
• Environ


  Surroundings
• Ecosystem


  All the living and non-living things present in the environment
• Biosphere


  The part of the Earth where life exists
• Environmental Psychology


  A field that explores how people interact with their surroundings
• Willy Hellpach


  • Known to be the first to use and define the term environmental psychology
• Egon Brunswik & Kurt Lewin


  • Regarded as the founding fathers of Environmental Psychology
• Egon Brunswik


  • One of the first psychologists who argued psychology should give attention to the properties of the organism's environment
• Kurt Lewin


  • Similarly argued that research should be driven by real-world social problems
  • Introduced the term "social action research" - a methodology that combines traditional research techniques with the goal of bringing about social change or addressing social issues
• Architectural Psychology


  A field of study that focuses on understanding how people interact with their built environment
• Green Psychology


  A branch of psychology that explores the relationship between humans and the natural environment
• One of the main goals of Environmental psychology

  • Change people's behavior to reverse environmental problems while preserving human well being and quality of life
• Sustainability


  Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• Key features of Environmental Psychology

  • Interactive approach
  • Interdisciplinary
  • Problem-focused
  • Diversity of methods
• Internal Validity


  Reflects the extent to which cause-effect relationships can be established
• External Validity


  Reflects the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other populations or settings
• Main Research Methods


  • Questionnaire studies
  • Laboratory experiments
  • Computer simulations studies
  • Field studies
  • Case studies
• Questionnaire Studies


  Aim to describe behaviors and to gather people's perceptions, opinions, attitudes and beliefs about different issues
• Laboratory Experiments


  Controlled experiments done in a lab setting to test hypotheses
• Computer Simulation Studies


  Creating computer models to mimic real-world environmental scenarios
• Field Studies


  Observing behaviors and interactions in real-life environments
• Case Studies


  In-depth studies of specific situations to understand complex behaviors
• Environmental Perception


  The process by which individuals gather, interpret, and make sense of information about their surroundings
• Ecological Theory of Perception

  Perception is not just a passive process of receiving sensory input but an active process of interacting with the environment
• James Gibson


  • Proposed that our perception is closely tied to our environment and how light interacts with it
• Darwin's Theory of Evolution


  • Suggests that mental processes evolved to help us survive in our environment
• Charles Darwin


  • Proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection
• William James


  • Believed that consciousness was something that came into existence because of its being functional to continued existence
• John Dewey


  • Believed that our experiences only truly exist within the context of our environment
• Movement Perception


  The process through which people and creatures orient themselves to their own or other's physical movements
• Real Movement


  When an object physically changes its position over time
• Apparent Movement


  When a stimulus doesn't actually change its position but it appears to
• Factors Affecting Perception of Movement

  • Speed
  • Size
  • Distance
  • Relative Visual Movement
• Relative Visual Movement


  The perception of movement in relation to stable reference frame provided by the visual field containing familiar objects
• Autokinetic Effect


  A visual phenomenon where a stationary point of light in an otherwise dark environment appears to move or drift
• Movement Aftereffect


  A perceptual phenomenon where the visual system experiences an illusion of movement in the opposite direction after prolonged exposure to a moving stimulus
• Kinesthesis


  The sense that enables individuals to perceive the position, movement, and orientation of their own bodies in space without relying on external visual cues
• Habituation


  The process of becoming accustomed to something such that it no longer elicits the same level of response or attention as it did initially
• Risk


  Situations or activities that may lead to uncertain adverse outcomes affecting something valuable to humans
• 2 essential components of risk

  • Severity
  • Uncertainty of adverse outcome