Showing papers in "Environment and Behavior in 2001"
TL;DR: A study conducted at six low-rise apartment communities provides considerable support for the premise that having natural elements or settings in the view from the window contributes substantially to residents’ satisfaction with their neighborhood and with diverse aspects of their sense of well-being.
Abstract: Depending on what is in the view, looking out the window may provide numerous opportunities for restoration. Unlike other restorative opportunities, however, window viewing is more frequent and for...
1,077 citations
TL;DR: Although vegetation has been positively linked to fear of crime and crime in a number of settings, recent findings in urban residential areas have hinted at a possible negative relationship: Reside... as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Although vegetation has been positively linked to fear of crime and crime in a number of settings, recent findings in urban residential areas have hinted at a possible negative relationship: Reside...
1,052 citations
TL;DR: Attention Restoration Theory suggests that contact with nature supports attentional functioning, and a number of studies have found contact with everyday nature to be related to attention in adults as discussed by the authors, but this is not the case in this paper.
Abstract: Attention Restoration Theory suggests that contact with nature supports attentional functioning, and a number of studies have found contact with everyday nature to be related to attention in adults...
744 citations
TL;DR: For example, this article found that contact with nature, which appears to mitigate mental fatigue, may reduce the propensity for outbursts of anger and even violence in U.S. adults.
Abstract: S. Kaplan suggested that one outcome of mental fatigue may be an increased propensity for outbursts of anger and even violence. If so, contact with nature, which appears to mitigate mental fatigue,...
729 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the local attitudes toward a proposal of a major hydropower development, which will cause major environmental impacts, were examined in relation to sociodemographic variables and place attachment.
Abstract: To improve the understanding of environmental concern, considering the context within which individuals develop environmental concerns may be important. One salient contextual variable related to local environmental issues is place attachment, which deals with human bonding to a specific physical environment. In a study in a rural community in Norway, the local attitudes toward a proposal of a major hydropower development, which will cause major environmental impacts, were examined in relation to sociodemographic variables and place attachment. The results from a postal survey show that place attachment explained more of the variances in attitudes than the sociodemographic variables all together.
578 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report further evidence bearing on the relations among restorative experiences, self-regulation, and place attachment, and report that frequent mention of being relaxed, being away from everyday life, forgetting worries, and reflecting on personal matters indicated a link between favorite places and restorative experience.
Abstract: The authors report further evidence bearing on the relations among restorative experiences, self-regulation, and place attachment. University students (n = 101) described their favorite places and experiences in them, and 98 other students described unpleasant places. Natural settings were overrepresented among favorite places and underrepresented among the unpleasant places. In open-ended accounts, frequent mention of being relaxed, being away from everyday life, forgetting worries, and reflecting on personal matters indicated a link between favorite places and restorative experience. Restoration was particularly typical of natural favorite places. Structured evaluations of being away, fascination, coherence, and compatibility indicated they were experienced to a high degree in the favorite places, although fascination to a lesser degree than compatibility. The favorite and unpleasant places differed substantially in all four restorative qualities but especially in being away and compatibility. Self-refe...
520 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of the underlying similarities between the Eastern meditation tradition and ART provides a basis for an expanded framework for studying directed attention, and two complementary strategies are presented that can help individuals more effectively manage their attentional resource.
Abstract: An analysis of the underlying similarities between the Eastern meditation tradition and attention restoration theory (ART) provides a basis for an expanded framework for studying directed attention. The focus of the analysis is the active role the individual can play in the preservation and recovery of the directed attention capacity. Two complementary strategies are presented that can help individuals more effectively manage their attentional resource. One strategy involves avoiding unnecessary costs in terms of expenditure of directed attention. The other involves enhancing the effect of restorative opportunities. Both strategies are hypothesized to be more effective if one gains generic knowledge, self-knowledge, and specific skills. The interplay between a more active form of mental involvement and the more passive approach of meditation appears to have far-reaching ramifications for managing directed attention.
507 citations
TL;DR: In this article, survey data is used to collect data on individuals' environmental concerns and environmental behaviors, two domains between which a tenuous relationship is often observable, and two domains can be distinguished.
Abstract: Surveys are an efficient and convenient means of collecting data on individuals’ environmental concerns and environmental behaviors, two domains between which a tenuous relationship is often observ...
447 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest that exposure to green environments can enhance human effectiveness and make life's demands seem manageable, and that this phenomenon extends to poor inner cities, where...
Abstract: Considerable evidence suggests that exposure to “green” environments can enhance human effectiveness and make life’s demands seem manageable. Does this phenomenon extend to poor inner cities, where...
440 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the interaction between ecological norm orientation and the external aspects "fare" and "subway station range" was investigated in an experimental field study, and the results suggest that the "economy-plus-moral" formula best describes the fact that the integrative mechanism (external factor fare plus normative ecological orien...
Abstract: In the domain of travel mode choice behavior, the interaction between ecological norm orientation and the external aspects “fare” and “subway station range” was investigated in an experimental field study. The ecological norm orientation is conceptualized based on the Schwartz theory on altruistic behavior, which is then applied to the environmental context. In a random sample of 160 persons, fare was experimentally manipulated by distributing free public transport tickets, whereas the station range was varied by selecting test participants at different distances from a station. Within the norm activation model, the mobility-specific personal ecological norm proves to be the strongest predictor of travel mode choice as recorded in standardized questionnaires. Reducing the fare by distributing free tickets has a quantitatively similar effect. The results suggest that the “economy-plus-moral” formula best describes the fact that the integrative mechanism (external factor fare plus normative ecological orien...
400 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that the large variations in preference between different types of scenes were the result of participants using the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for the preference judgment.
Abstract: Groups of subjects judged one example of two different types of outdoor scene on each of the items of the Perceived Restorative Scale, on two preference scales and a familiarity scale. It was argued that the previously demonstrated large variations in preference between different types of scenes were the result of participants using the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for the preference judgment. Preference and the Perceived Restorative Scale score correlated .81, whereas familiarity and the Restorative Scale correlated .31, and preference and familiarity correlated .32. This result supports the hypothesis regarding the use of the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for preference judgments. It is further argued that variations in the preference and restorative value of scenes may be associated with fractal geometry.
TL;DR: In the literature, social and behavioral science has often described place attachment and mobility as opposite and mutually exclusive phenomena, and regarded one as better or more important than the other as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Social and behavioral science has often described place attachment and mobility as opposite and mutually exclusive phenomena, has regarded one as better or more important than the other, or has don...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated how cooperation can be facilitated in the real-world social dilemma of choosing to commute by automobile rather than by public transport and found that the frequency of switching to public transport during the closure of a freeway was inversely related to the frequency commuting before the closure, and that drivers who more frequently commuted by automobile overestimated their commuting time to a larger extent than did drivers who commuted less frequently by automobile.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate how cooperation can be facilitated in the real-world social dilemma of choosing to commute by automobile rather than by public transport. A survey of 335 drivers was carried out before and during an 8-day temporary freeway closure in Osaka, Japan. The results showed that the frequency of switching to public transport during the closure was inversely related to the frequency of automobile commuting before the closure. Furthermore, drivers who more frequently commuted by automobile overestimated commuting time by public transport to a larger extent than did drivers who commuted less frequently by automobile. At the same time, the larger the overestimation the more likely were drivers to change their perception of commute time. It is suggested that a temporary structural change, such as a freeway closure, may be an important catalyst that triggers cooperation in a social dilemma.
TL;DR: The authors found that people who see greater potential for restorative experiences in natural environments also do more to protect them by behaving ecologically, as with recycling or reduced driving, and that fascination mediated the influences of coherence, being away, and compatibility.
Abstract: Shifting the focus from fear, guilt, and indignation related to deteriorating environmental quality, the authors hypothesized that people who see greater potential for restorative experiences in natural environments also do more to protect them by behaving ecologically, as with recycling or reduced driving. University students (N = 488) rated a familiar freshwater marsh in terms of being away, fascination, coherence, and compatibility, qualities of restorative person-environment transactions described in attention restoration theory. They also reported on their performance of various ecological behaviors. The authors tested a structural equation model with data from a randomly drawn subset of participants and then confirmed it with the data from a second subset. For the combined subsets, perceptions of the restorative qualities predicted 23% of the variance in general ecological behavior. As the only direct predictor, fascination mediated the influences of coherence, being away, and compatibility.
TL;DR: An observer-based, standardized index of housing quality (structural quality, privacy, indoor climate, hazards, cleanliness/clutter, and children's resources) is significantly related to psychological distress and a behavioral index of learned helplessness.
Abstract: An observer-based, standardized index of housing quality (structural quality, privacy, indoor climate, hazards, cleanliness/clutter, and children’s resources) is significantly related to psychological distress and a behavioral index of learned helplessness, which reflects an important component of human motivation. Independent of household income, third-through fifth-grade children residing in poorer quality housing have more psychological symptoms and less task persistence than their counterparts living in better quality housing.
TL;DR: The authors examined the relations between people's self-reported recycling and waste reduction behaviors, their reasons or justifications for engaging in these behaviors, and their future plans for reducing waste and recycling.
Abstract: The present research examined the relations between people’s self-reported recycling and waste reduction behaviors, their reasons or justifications for engaging in these behaviors, and their future...
TL;DR: This article found that microclimatic conditions in business district open spaces tend to be more extreme than prevailing weather conditions. Although the buildings are chiefly responsible for this inclemency, their shape...
Abstract: Microclimatic conditions in business district open spaces tend to be more extreme than prevailing weather conditions. Although the buildings are chiefly responsible for this inclemency, their shape...
TL;DR: Using data from a random sample survey of the population of British Columbia, the authors addressed an anomaly in the literature on environmental concern and environmental action: the limited amount of information available to the authors.
Abstract: Using data from a random sample survey of the population of British Columbia, this article addresses an anomaly in the literature on environmental concern and environmental action: the limited impa...
TL;DR: The authors examined the differences between academic major and reported attitudes and beliefs about the environment and found that individuals majoring in different academic disciplines place fundamentally different levels of concerns and express different beliefs regarding the environment.
Abstract: This study examined the differences between academic major and reported attitudes and beliefs about the environment. Other variables investigated included sex, age, and place of residence. Throughout the 1993 and 1995 academic years, students within a variety of academic majors at a university in British Columbia were queried using a modified New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) instrument. Significant differences in environmental attitudes were observed in the variables of academic major, gender, and age. The results of this study suggest that individuals majoring in different academic disciplines place fundamentally different levels of concerns and express different beliefs regarding the environment.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide data on mental health sequelae of residential crowding among children, demonstrating significant associations between the number of persons per room and an index of psychological health.
Abstract: The authors provide data on mental health sequelae of residential crowding among children, demonstrating significant associations between the number of persons per room and an index of psychological health. These relations are shown in two independent samples of urban and rural children living in poverty. The density–mental health link among the rural, low-income sample is qualified by a gender interaction indicating that boys are more vulnerable to negative outcomes. This interaction was not found among the smaller, inner-city sample. In both samples, children from higher density homes are less likely to persist in an achievement, problem-solving context. The authors did not find support for their hypothesis that learned helplessness would at least partially account for the relation between residential crowding and mental health among children.
TL;DR: In this article, how altruistic, normative, and egoistic factors affect households' participation in curbside recycling is shown to depend on how participation is measured, expressed as whether a household parti...
Abstract: How altruistic, normative, and egoistic factors affect households’ participation in curbside recycling is shown to depend on how participation is measured. If expressed as whether a household parti...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effects of floor height on the perception of room size and crowding as an important aspect of satisfaction with a dormitory build- ing and found that when the room is perceived as larger and the feeling of privacy in a room increases, the satis- faction with a room also increases.
Abstract: This article examines the effects of floor height on the perception of room size and crowding as an important aspect of satisfaction with a dormitory build- ing. The analysis was carried out by means of a survey research designed for dormi- tory residents at Bilkent University, Ankara. Two 5-story dormitory buildings, one housing men and the other women, in which all rooms are of identical size and have equal density, were chosen for the survey. The highest (fifth) and the lowest (ground) floor were included in this research with a sample of an equal number of male and female students for each. As predicted, residents on the highest floor perceive their rooms as larger and feel less crowded than residents of the lowest floor. Overall, when the room is perceived as larger and the feeling of privacy in a room increases, the satis- faction with a dormitory room also increases. Satisfaction of users in the built environment is particularly important when the duration of staying is long. Although home is the best example of long-term environment, public spaces such as dormitories and residences for the elderly are other notable cases in which various aspects of interaction between user and environment can be investigated. Their public nature makes user satisfaction a harder goal to achieve for builders and organizers.
TL;DR: The authors examined the influence of transportation dependence and fulfillment of transportation needs on well-being based on a community sample (N = 174) and found that the majority of transportation-dependent participants had unfulfilled transportation needs, whereas this was the case for very few (7.1%) of those dependent on transportation support.
Abstract: This study examines the influence of transportation dependence and fulfillment of transportation needs on well-being based on a community sample (N = 174). The majority (54.4%) of transportation-dependent participants had unfulfilled transportation needs, whereas this was the case for very few (7.1%) of those inde- pendent of transportation support. Regression analyses revealed that the transporta- tion needs variable was statistically significant, whereas the transportation depend- ence factor was not. In terms of the prioritization of environmental components, elderly dependent on transportation support placed higher importance on housing than on neighborhood or community elements compared to more mobile seniors. Par- ticipants with unmet transportation needs were more likely to depend solely on family to provide transportation, whereas participants with fulfilled transportation needs
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between three different forms of resident appropriation and residents' experiences of neighborhood safety and community and found that residents who defended near-home space through territorial appropriation experienced the neighborhood as a safer, more cohesive community than did residents who did not appropriate space in this way.
Abstract: Defensible space (DS) theory proposes that the built environment can promote neighborhood safety and community by encouraging residents’ appropriation of near-home space. This article examined the relationship between three different forms of resident appropriation and residents’ experiences of neighborhood safety and community. Results from a survey of 91 public housing residents living in moderately defensible spaces suggested that residents who defended near-home space through territorial appropriation experienced the neighborhood as a safer, more cohesive community than did residents who did not appropriate space in this way. Residents who spent more time outside experienced the neighborhood as a safer place; however, casual social interaction in near-home space was not consistently related to outcomes. While no causal information is available from the correlational data presented here, this work takes an important step of providing empirical evidence of a systematic link between certain aspects of re...
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of auto burglary in Washington, D.C., examined the relationship between park setting and auto burglary and found that situational features are in fact used by offenders and that offenders adapt their behaviors to the opportunities and risks provided by each setting.
Abstract: Although large numbers of crimes are committed in parks each year, little is known about the ways in which offenders use park settings to commit these crimes. Such knowledge would allow park managers to evaluate crime risk and opportunity and to formulate response strategies. A case study of auto burglary in Washington, D.C., examined the relationship between park setting and auto burglary. A focus group, extensive on-site interviews with plainclothes police, and analysis of crime sites were used to reveal the scripts and behaviors of auto burglars. The results are consistent with fundamental theories of environmental criminology and suggest that situational features are in fact used by offenders and that offenders adapt their behaviors to the opportunities and risks provided by each setting. In particular, a park’s physical features can reduce effort and risk by offering concealment, which is necessary for identifying targets and for sorting stolen valuables.
TL;DR: This paper examined the difference between environmental attitudes of university students in England, Denmark, and the United States and found that there is a significant relationship between attitudes toward technology, politics, and economics, the primary elements of the dominant social paradigm (DSP), and environmental attitudes.
Abstract: This study examined the difference between environmental attitudes of university students in England, Denmark, and the United States. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between attitudes toward technology, politics, and economics, the primary elements of the dominant social paradigm (DSP), and environmental attitudes. Specifically, as beliefs in the elements of the DSP increase, the perception of the existence of environmental problems decreases. As a result of this decrease, perceived changes necessary to alleviate environmental problems also decreases. The results also indicate that there is a direct relationship between the DSP and perceived change. The policy implications of this result suggest that what is needed is not only increased concern for the environment, but also, education about the DSP and its effect on the environment. Individuals may then break the cycles of technological advance, increased consumption, and reform politics, all of which appear to be complicit i...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the causal relationship between the percentage of homeowners in a neighborhood and city and crime rates and used a cross-lag analysis for the years of the years.
Abstract: The central purpose of this article is to examine the causal relationship between the percentage of homeowners in a neighborhood and city and crime rates. A cross-lag analysis is used for the years...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined predictors of two belief systems linking beliefs about the environment with beliefs about scientific knowledge, and found that new ecological beliefs were expected to receive higher levels of agreement than old anthropocentric ones.
Abstract: Using the framework of social representations theory, this article examines predictors of two belief systems linking beliefs about the environment with beliefs about scientific knowledge. In a survey study with 460 Portuguese respondents, the following four hypotheses were tested: (a) New ecological beliefs were expected to receive higher levels of agreement than old anthropocentric ones, (b) social identities (not only objective positions) were expected to be important predictors of respondents’ beliefs, and (c) the explanatory power of social identity variables was expected to be higher for those beliefs receiving lower levels of agreement (d) and for respondents expressing coherent representations. Analyses reconstructed two belief systems: prudence, linking new ecological ideas with a relativist view of science, and confidence, linking old anthropocentric ideas with a positivist view of science. Results support the hypothesis and show that although these systems can be viewed as contradictory, some re...
TL;DR: This paper investigated the role of perceived alley length as a possible predictor of perceived danger and found that people judged alleys with sharper curves as less dangerous than straighter alleys, and that people perceived shorter alleys as more dangerous than taller alleys.
Abstract: Herzog and Miller (1998) reported that people judged alleys with sharper curves as less dangerous than straighter alleys. The authors investigated the role of perceived alley length as a possible c...
TL;DR: In this paper, a message by mail with recommendations on how their subordinates should behave to reduce oil pollution of wastewater was sent to garages, where the recommendations were either tailored or not tailored to the current behavior routines in each specific workshop.
Abstract: Workshop managers in garages (N = 153) received a message by mail with recommendations on how their subordinates should behave to reduce oil pollution of wastewater. The recommendations were either tailored or not tailored to the current behavior routines in each specific workshop. Tailored messages resulted in more accurate knowledge (assessed 1 week postintervention) and in more pro-environmental behavior (assessed 3 months postintervention and compared to pretest data). Tailored messages were as effective with or without additional information on behavior routines in other garages. Compared to no message (control group, n = 60), the tailored messages resulted in more pro-environmental behavior. The nontailored messages were hardly more effective than no message. The nontailored messages remained as ineffective when readers were helped (via a routing procedure) to select those parts of the message relevant to their workshop. It is concluded that tailoring is a promising new approach when campaigning for...