EVM 208 — Environmental Psychology and Perception: Lecture Note

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LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Series 1 Course code: EVM 208 Course title: Environmental Psychology and Perception Course credit load: 2 Units List of Series:  Series 1: Scope and Concepts of Environmental Psychology  Series 2: Perception, Cognition and Environmental Images  Series 3: Stress, Behaviour and Social Interaction in the Environment  Series 4: Environmental Perception, Human Behaviour and Assessment Techniques  Series 5: Quality of Environment, Preferences and Decision Making Series Outline for Series 1: Scope and Concepts of Environmental Psychology  Part 1 (1.1): Scope and Objectives of Environmental Psychology o Sub-Part 1.1.1: Definition and scope of environmental psychology o Sub-Part 1.1.2: Objectives and relevance of environmental psychology  Part 2 (1.2): Basic Environmental Psychological Concepts o Sub-Part 1.2.1: Key concepts: environment, behaviour, and perception o Sub-Part 1.2.2: Ecological psychology and its foundations  Part 3 (1.3): Human-Environment Interaction o Sub-Part 1.3.1: How humans experience and respond to their environment o Sub-Part 1.3.2: Factors shaping human-environment relationships  Part 4 (1.4): Issues and Challenges in Environmental Psychology o Sub-Part 1.4.1: Environmental problems and psychological well-being o Sub-Part 1.4.2: Contemporary challenges in the field

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Introduction Environmental psychology is concerned with how people experience, interpret, and respond to the physical settings in which they live. It recognises that the relationship between human beings and their surroundings is not one-directional but mutually influential: the environment shapes behaviour, emotions, and cognition, while human actions in turn transform the environment. Understanding these interactions is increasingly important as environmental challenges such as urbanisation, pollution, and resource depletion affect the psychological well-being of populations worldwide. The aim of this Series is to introduce you to the scope, objectives, and foundational concepts of environmental psychology, examine the nature of human-environment interaction, and highlight the issues and challenges that the field addresses in the context of contemporary environmental problems. We shall commence this Series by defining environmental psychology and examining its scope and objectives. Next, we will explore the basic concepts of the field, including key terms and the foundations of ecological psychology. We will then consider how humans experience and respond to their environment and the factors that shape these relationships. Finally, we will examine the issues facing environmental well-being and the contemporary challenges that the discipline seeks to address. Series Learning Outcomes Upon completing this Series, you should be able to:  SLO 1.1 define environmental psychology and describe its scope and objectives,  SLO 1.2 explain the basic concepts of environmental psychology, including ecological psychology,  SLO 1.3 describe how humans experience and respond to their physical environment,  SLO 1.4 identify the factors that shape human-environment relationships, and  SLO 1.5 assess the issues facing environmental psychological well-being and the contemporary challenges in the field. 1.1 Scope And Objectives Of Environmental Psychology 1.1.1 Definition and scope of environmental psychology Environmental psychology is a branch of psychology that studies the relationship between people and the physical settings they inhabit. Its scope extends from the immediate physical surroundings of individuals, such as rooms and buildings, to broader natural and urban environments. The field seeks to understand how the environment influences human thought, emotion, and behaviour, and conversely, how human actions shape and modify environmental

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS conditions. As a discipline, environmental psychology draws on concepts from psychology, geography, architecture, and ecology to provide a comprehensive understanding of human-environment interactions. Fill in the blank: Environmental psychology studies the relationship between people and the __________ settings they inhabit. 1.1.2 Objectives and relevance of environmental psychology The objectives of environmental psychology include understanding how different physical environments affect mental health, stress, productivity, and social behaviour. It also aims to inform the design of built environments, promote pro-environmental behaviour, and contribute to policies that improve the quality of living and working spaces. The relevance of the field has grown considerably in recent decades as rapid urbanisation, overcrowding, pollution, and climate change have created new psychological pressures that individuals and communities must navigate in their everyday lives. Fill in the blank: One objective of environmental psychology is to inform the design of __________ environments to improve human well-being. Short description: A photograph of a person in a built urban environment such as a busy street or office building, illustrating the physical settings studied in environmental psychology. Plate 1.1 A person navigating a built urban environment Pilot questions 1.1 1. Which of the following best describes the focus of environmental psychology?

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 2. Which discipline does environmental psychology draw on alongside psychology? 3. What is one objective of environmental psychology? 4. Name two types of physical settings studied in environmental psychology. 5. Why has the relevance of environmental psychology increased in recent decades? 1.2 Basic Environmental Psychological Concepts 1.2.1 Key concepts: environment, behaviour, and perception Three concepts are central to environmental psychology. Environment in this context refers to all the physical and social conditions that surround an individual, including natural settings, built structures, and sensory stimuli such as noise, light, and temperature. Behaviour encompasses the actions, reactions, and adaptations of individuals in response to environmental conditions. Perception refers to the process by which individuals interpret and make sense of sensory information from their surroundings, which is central to how people evaluate and respond to different environments. Fill in the blank: The process by which individuals interpret sensory information from their surroundings is known as __________. Short description: A diagram showing the three-way relationship between environment, behaviour, and perception in environmental psychology. Plate 1.2 The relationship between environment, behaviour, and perception

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.2.2 Ecological psychology and its foundations Ecological psychology is a branch of environmental psychology associated with the work of James Gibson, who proposed the concept of affordances, which refers to the action possibilities that the environment offers to an individual. According to this perspective, people do not simply observe their environment but actively perceive what it affords them in terms of possible actions. Ecological psychology emphasises the direct, functional relationship between an organism and its environment and provides a foundation for understanding how physical settings shape behaviour without the need for complex internal mental processes as intermediaries. Fill in the blank: James Gibson's concept of __________ refers to the action possibilities that the environment offers to an individual. Short description: A diagram illustrating James Gibson's concept of affordances, showing how a physical environment offers different action possibilities to an individual. Figure 1.1 Gibson's concept of affordances in ecological psychology Pilot questions 1.2 1. Which of the following best describes the concept of perception in environmental psychology? 2. Who introduced the concept of affordances in ecological psychology? 3. What does the term affordance mean in the context of ecological psychology? 4. Why is the concept of behaviour important in environmental psychology? 5. Give one example of how the physical environment influences human behaviour.

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.3 Human-Environment Interaction 1.3.1 How humans experience and respond to their environment Humans experience their environment through the senses, forming impressions and evaluations that guide behaviour. These experiences are not purely sensory but are shaped by cognition, which involves the mental processing of environmental information, including memory, attention, and evaluation. People respond to environmental stimuli in a range of ways, from simple orientation responses to complex decisions about where to live, work, or spend leisure time. Experience and imagination also play a role, as individuals draw on past encounters with environments and mental projections of future settings to make sense of and respond to their current surroundings. Fill in the blank: The mental processing of environmental information, including memory, attention, and evaluation, is referred to as __________. 1.3.2 Factors shaping human-environment relationships Several factors shape the relationship between humans and their environments. Cultural background influences how people perceive and value different settings, as meanings attached to places vary across societies. Personal history and past experience with environments shape current preferences and responses. Physical characteristics of the environment itself, such as noise levels, spatial layout, and aesthetic quality, also play a significant role. Together, these factors mean that human-environment relationships are not uniform but vary considerably among individuals and groups. Fill in the blank: The meanings and values that individuals attach to specific places, which vary across societies, are shaped by __________ backgro

LA-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Short description: A photograph showing people from different cultural backgrounds interacting with the same outdoor space in different ways, illustrating how cultural background shapes human-environment relationships. Plate 1.3 Cultural variation in how people relate to their environment Pilot questions 1.3 1. What role does cognition play in how humans experience their environment? 2. How do experience and

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