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)
