final Flashcards
nov 21 - dec 5
what does it mean to have a psychological connection with nature?
sense of awareness of being a part of nature; sense that nature is a community we belong to
what are 2 theories as to why exposure to natural environments promotes wellbeing? give pros and cons
- biophilia hypothesis (Wilson): we evolved in natural spaces; our brains/physiology are predisposed to feel good when in wild spaces
-cons: kinds of environments we evolved in are probably much different than the diversity of environments that exist around the globe
-the name: bio means life; there are lots of things in nature that aren’t exactly “alive” by Western standards (eg rocks, cliffs, sand) - attention restoration theory (Kaplan): humans have created many built environments and cultural practices that require a lot of our attentional/self-regulatory capacity - many things to pay attention to, and our ability to do so has limits
-when we go into a natural setting, it can capture our attention but without a lot of effort on our part; our capacity to pay [ ] is ‘restored’ in these settings
what are 4 more ideas (that aren’t theories per se) that apply to why being in natural settings apply to wellbeing?
- fascination: the more people report experiencing fascination, the more they are to benefit w mood
- self-expansiveness through awe: awe can often be experienced through vastness, leading to sense of self-expansiveness
- sense of meaning: maybe connection to sense of world that gives us sense of meaning
- spiritual, sacred experience: many report that spending time in nature is spiritual/sacred, which can be pleasant / give sense of meaning
what did Nisbet’s study (2011) find about participants who were asked to walk either outdoors, indoors, or imagine walking? what is this phenomenon called?
-the “forecasters” (imagining cond) underestimated the effect of a walk outdoors on positive affect
-affective forecasting error: error in predicting the emotional impact of a future event
describe Passmore’s 2017 study. what does this suggest about paying attention to nature?
-participants asked to pay attention to how objects around them made them feel
-nature group reported higher positive affect than built environment and control conditions
-participants weren’t going to different places, just paying more attention - this suggests that effect was NOT due to spending more time in nature/different settings, but by simply paying attention
what are green spaces, and why are they important? describe the issue of unequal access to green space.
-spaces that give us chance to connect with nature/socialize
-evidence that proximity to green space is important for wellbeing, physical health, and students learn better at schools that have more green space
-people w lower incomes+racialized minorities have less access to urban green space
-racial minority groups experience differential treatment in parks/natural settings (eg “Birding while Black”)
what does “oneness with nature” / connectedness to nature / nature relatedness / identification with nature describe? give examples of questions used to measure this.
psychological connection with nature, feeling one with nature etc
-I often feel a sense of oneness with the natural world around me
-** I think of the natural world as a community to which I belong **
-I have a lot in common with other species
describe identification with nature. which psychological theories does this relate to? give examples of questions that are used to measure this.
-categorizing the self at the level of the biosphere
-relates to social identity + self-categorization theories, which are about how people categorize the self at the level of different social groups
-“I have a lot in common with other species”
-“I feel strong ties to other parts of nature”
-“I often think about the idea that I am a part of a larger ecosystem”
→ these are adapted from items used to measure people’s sense of collective identification with social groups
Nisbet’s 2011 quasi-experiment found what about the relationship between environmental education and vitality?
-environmental education → increase in vitality (r = .22)
-statistically significant chunk of relationship had to do with nature relatedness (env educ → increase in nature relatedness, r = .32 → increase in vitality, r = .26)
how are PEBs related to prosocial behaviors re: wellbeing? what kinds of outcomes are PEBs correlated with?
-we know prosocial behaviors are linked to wellbeing; PEBs are a prosocial behavior
-environmental volunteerism predicted fewer depressive symptoms
-freq of PEBs increases life satisfaction; perceiving eco-threat decreases satisfaction but also increases freq of PEBs
what are the 3 PEBs most strongly related to life satisfaction? 4 that are least related? what is the biggest differentiator between these?
-local environmental activities
-buying food from farmers’ market
-talking to children about environmental issues
-turning off lights when leaving a room
-using recycling bins
-using public transit/carpooling (ns)
-doing full loads of laundry (ns)
-variable that did best was cost - actually giving something of yourself
what is anthropocentrism? compare this to some alternatives
-human-centeredness/human-centrism; the idea that humans have more value/signfiicance/higher moral status than other living things
-biocentrism / ecocentrism, which center the environment / life more generally rather than (just) humans
what is the New Ecological Paradigm (Dunlap 2000)?
-humans have exceptional characteristics, but they remain one of the many species interdependently involved in the global ecosystem
compare the NEP and the DP (Dominant [Western] Paradigm) (Dunlap 2000)
-NEP:
-“Humans live in and are dependent on a finite biophysical environment which imposes restraints on human affairs”
-we are not allknowing; our actions can have negative consequences for others/ourselves/the planet
-“Overconsumption is posing a serious risk to humankind + life on planet earth”
-“all things on this planet are connected as part of a larger ecosystem, including human beings”
-DEP:
-The world is vast, and thus provides unlimited opportunities for humans (resources are there for us to take/improve human life)
-“humans deserve to rule over the rest of nature”
-“The history of humanity is one of progress; for every problem there’s a solution, and thus progress need never cease”
-“Human tech will overcome environmental problems, just as it always has”
what is a criticism of the NEP?
-This is the way Indigenous, land-connected cultures have understood the world for millennia
-In a sense, we need to go back to an “old” ecological paradigm (but that’s not right either, bc Indigenous cultures still practice these beliefs)
-Diversity and (place) specificity (natural life of a specific place influence specifics of how you connect to natural world + see this sense of interconnection)
what kinds of items did Stern use to measure biospheric values? what did they find (1999)?
-Respecting the earth (Harmony w other species)
-Unity with nature (fitting into nature)
-Protecting the environment (preserving nature)
-Preventing pollution (protecitng natural resources)
-the higher they score on this value measure, the higher they score on specific PEBs
what did Boomsma (2014) find about participants asked to evaluate street lighting levels? what does this suggest?
-only those in the information condition (told about the negative effects of artificial lighting, eg sea turtle hatchlings, GHG emissions etc) AND those with strong values
-suggests we need both
what are 4 things Mayer found (2004) to correlate with connectedness to nature?
-Time in nature
-PEB
-Self-definition as environmentalist
-Perspective taking (of environment, and generally)
Nisbet’s 2009 study found nature relatedness predicts what 5 PEBs?
-Freq outdoors, in nature
-Vegetarianism
-Organic purchases
-Environmental organization membership
-Self-defintion as environmentalist
Tam (2013) had undergrads make posters to promote environmental awareness. what did they find?
-The higher participants anthropomorphized nature in posters, the higher pro-environmental intentions they reported – ie, anthropomorphizing predicted pro-environmental intentions
-this was mediated by connectedness to nature
Bashir and Lockwood (2013) found that participants usually rate environmentalists as more eccentric, militant, and less personable than the typical student. (T / F)
T
Bashir suggested that maybe environmentalists who want to make a change should try to present themselves as the ‘atypical’ environmentalist. what’s the issue with this?
-protesting is important + environmentalists wnat to influence powerful people (not indivs) into behavioral change
-sometimes, activists (all kinds) can be stereotyped in negative ways, which can undermine how influential they can be
-soln is not to make yourself less of an activist, but to think abt how to counter negative stereotypes
what is a politicized identity? what did Simon find about politicized identities (2001)?
-identity that defines itself as engaged in a collective struggle to create change, ie the identity itself is around making change
-recognizes conflicts of interests
-struggle takes place within larger social context, including third parties (eg us/them, third parties/allies etc)
-identification with a social category (in this study older people) –> identification with specific political movement (“Gray Panthers”) –> collective action on behalf of broader category (ie older people)
-ie, identifying more with older people –> more likely to engage in action on their behalf
-this relationship was mediated entirely by ID w certain political movement
what did Schmitt (2018) find about politicized environmental identity?
-identification with nature –> environmental activist identification –> pro-environmental collective action
-collective action was fully mediated by environmental activist identification
what did Van Zomeran find about the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (2008)?
-politicized identity → collective action
-however, also correlated by anger/moral outrage and collective efficacy (politicized identity → anger/efficacy → action)
-other work suggests causal directions can reverse
In 1983, 1/25 citizens participated in the biggest Dutch protest ever. All protestors interviewed had low efficacy, so why did they do it? (Klandermans 1987)
-moral obligation: standing up for/with others who share views
-politicized environmental identity
what encourages politicized identity formation (Tajfel)?
-SIT: cognitive alternatives to the status quo
→ awareness of alternatives to the current state of intergroup relations that are subjectively plausible and positive
→ cognitive alternatives encourage social transformation
describe environmental cognitive alternatives
-access to ideas about what the world might be like if the relationship between humans + the rest of nature were harmonious + sustainable
-can involve other intergroup relationships (eg environmentalists/fossil fuel companies, citizens/elites, youth/boomers)
give example items from the Environmental Cognitive Alternatives Scale and what it predicts (Wright, Schmitt 2020)
-It’s easy to imagine a world where we no longer use fossil fuels
-When I imagine what an ecologically sustainable existence for humans would be like, I can picture it in detail
-A harmonious relationship between humans/the natural world is easy for me to imagine
-Identification w environmental activists
-Pro-environmental activist intentions
-Observed behavior (eg writing letters)
→ …predicts these over and above beliefs about climate change, identification w nature / other ctrls
describe Wright and Schmitt’s study using ECAS (2020). what did they find?
-asked participants to imagine a world different from our own, in which humans have a more harmonious and sustainable relationship with the rest of the natural environment
-sustainable world condition increased activist intentions - environmental cognitive alternatives, ID with environmental activists, activist intentions, opposition to fossil fuel expansion projects
-this was mediated by identification with activists
what did Tindall’s 2002 study find about social networks?
-knowing people involved in environmental movement → environmental participation, even controlling for environmental attitudes and beliefs
-this was found for strong ties (friends/family) AND weak ties (acquaintances, coworkers, classmates etc)
what are factors that contribute to success in activism campaigns?
-increased # of participants
→ coordination: the more people that can act tgt
-nonviolence more than violent campaigns
-minority influence
-legitimize both the ends and the means (methods are legitimate, not just the end results)
-cognitive alternatives to status quo (SIT)
describe the “Norwegian Paradox”. what are some themes Haugestad found when in interviews of young climate strikers (2021)?
-Norwegian Paradox: strong pro-environmental ambitions to address climate change is contested by privileged position the oil-economy has granted the young generation
-shared/collective responsibility for climate change (made a point not to blame individuals)
-urgency: deprived of promise future
-shared identity as the “youth”, empowering/motivating action
in studying the #FFF movement, what did Haugestad find future protest was predicted by?
-identification with climate strikers
-group efficacy of climate strikers
in studying the #FFF movement, what did Haugestad find identification with climate strikers was predicted by?
-collective guilt (/responsibility / moral obligation)
-perceived environmental threat
how does Dr Wildcat define “Indigenous Knowledge”? (he makes at least four big points about Indigenous knowledge)
- Our ‘relatives’ (plants, animals, wind, water) can teach us something about the earth
-Indg knowledge system isn’t about us, it’s a cooperative production about what we can learn from landscapes - Western society believes that progress = technological development, which is harmful
- Intergenerational knowledge is acquired over time, not “collected”
-respect people/place; see how we can enrich/draw on that - The earth is sacred; living; spiritual reality
-Western worldview believes it has the one best way for all the planet to be organized, but how you live depends on where you live/who you are/your traditions
what 3 things does Haugestad attribute to the galvanization of #FFF?
-(collective) responsibility for climate change
-a necessity for shared action
-shared sense of collective identity
according to Dr Wildcat, Indigenous peoples do not see plants, animals, and other natural entities as resources. what do they see them as instead?
relatives
(Haugestad) what 6 things predicted future protest intentions? what 2 things mediated these effects?
-Collective guilt, environmental threat, past protest participation, organized environmentalism, political orientation, social capital
-activist identification + group efficacy
