Chapter 7: The Physical Environment Flashcards
Transactionalism
Environment
People shape their environment just as the physical environment influences them.
Stimulation theory
Environment
Focuses on the physical environment as a source of sensory information that is essential for human well-being.
(ie color, heat, light)
Stimulation theorists propose that patterns of stimulation influence thinking, feeling, social interaction, and health.
Stimulus overload
Too much stimulation
Has a negative effect on human behavior.
Restricted environment stimulation
Stimulus derivation.
Negative effect on human behavior.
Control theories
Environment
Focuses on the issue of how much control we have over our physical environments and the attempts we make to gain control.
Boundary regulating mechanisms
Use to gain greater control over our physical environments.
Privacy, personal space, territoriality
Personal space
Physical distance we choose to maintain in interpersonal relationships.
Behavior setting theories
Environment
Behavior is always tied to a specific place.
Consistent, uniform patterns of behavior occur in particular settings.
Behaviors of different persons in the same setting are more similar than the behaviors of the same person in different settings.
Territoriality
Behavior of individuals and small groups as they seek control over physical space.
Primary territory
Evokes feelings of ownership that we control on a relatively permanent basis.
Secondary territories
Less important territories and control of them does not seem as important.
Public territories
Open to anyone in the community and we generally do not try to control them.
Crowding
The subjective feeling of having too many people around.
Programs
Consistent, prescribed patterns of behavior.
Behavior settings theory:
Staffing
Different behavior settings attract different numbers of participants or staff.
Natural environment
The portion of the environment influenced primarily be geological and nonhuman biological factors.
Biophilia
Humans genetically based need to affiliate with nature.
Three features of the environment that have been found to be particularly influential on emotional states:
Water, trees, sunlight.
Cultural models of nature-human relationship:
Spiritual model
Sees nature as sacred in its own right and threatened by human activity.
Cultural model of nature-human relationship:
Ecological model
Based on science, sees humans as interconnected with nature, and looks to science and technology to improve that relationship.
Built environment
Portion of the physical environment attributable solely to human effort.
Sociofugal spaces
Physical designs that discourage social interaction.
Sociopetal spaces
Physical designs that encourage social interactions.
Normalizing principle
Environment
Emphasizes the importance of a homelike physical environment.
Theory of defensible space
Suggests that residential crime and fear of crime can be decreased by means of certain features that increase residents send of territoriality.
Place attachment
Process in which people and groups form bonds with places.
Place identity
When a particular place becomes an important part of our self-identity.
Social model of disability
Disability is the result of the relationship between individual and the environment.
