Lecture 1 - Introduction Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is environmental Psychology? Gifford (2007) view
The study of transactions between individuals and their physical settings
- How do we engage with the physal environment around us? The transactions are not seperate entities - individual impacts environment and the environment impacts the individual
What is environmental Psychology? Bell et al., (2005) view
The study of the Molar relationships between behaviour and experience and the built and natural environment
- molar relationships - a relationship over time
What is environmental psychology?
Application of psychological theory and methods to human-environment interactions.
Why is environmental psychology different when most fields of psychology involve interactions with the environment?
- Problem-over-theory orientation: The explicit focus is on environmental issues or human-environment interactions. This relationship is central to what people are studying. Not just an external factor we are looking at but the core focus.
- Methodological Perspective: Need to go among lab research. They study behaviour in more naturalistic environments
What Environment are we looking at in evironmental psychology?
- (socio)physical settings
1. built environment
2. natural environment
3. social environment
Focusing on behviour and experience of individuals and small groups
Not about the universal Ps, interested in a particular role or context
What are the two research areas of environmental psychology?
The environment as context for behaviour
* how do we interact with the environment around us and how does the environment impact our attitudes, behaviour, wellbeing
* Ecological psychology
Impact of human behviour on the environment
* this considers sustainability. how people can change their behaviour in order to address the problem
* conservation psychology
Kurt Lewin
- The founder of modern experimental social psychology (and environmental psychology)
- carried out research on group dynamics and their inter-group relationships
- committed to research applied to real world issues
- known for Field theory and Action Research
Field theory (Lewin)
- behaviour is a function of the person and the environment
- need to look at all the factors (behaviour, person, environment - B=f (P,E)
- idea positied in 1930/40’s where behaviourism dominated
Lewin’s views on what he wanted psychology to be and do?
- He wanted psychology to be more scientific
- He argued that there is a tradeoff that was difficult to navigate (precise lab study Vs naturalistic environment)
- If you are studying behaviour in the wider environment, you can only discuss probabilistic influences because it becomes chaotic - all the confounds
Need to find a balance so that it is scientific but also related to the real world
Action Research (Lewin)
This is more of a methodological perspective
* this is a research strategy of testing theories in the field
* in order to find out things, you need to trial interventions involving - action, observing and reflecting (iterative process). This is known as the action research cycle
Roger Garlock Barker (1903-1990)
Barker = Behaviour
- First to use the term ‘ecological psychology’
- most famous for his midwest psychological field station study:
○ He had a small city in Kansas (750 Ps). Many research assistants would observe what was going on. Looking at what people do on a day to day basis and certain behaviour. He came up with the idea of behaviour settings
What is behavioural settings (Roger Garlock Barker)
- this is the notion that different settings evoke different behaviour (shop, school, restaurant etc.)
- in order to understand someones behaviour, you need to know the setting the behaviour is taking place in.
- by knowing a setting you can predict what is going to happen (scripts or a sequence of actions in a scene)
- molar vs molecular behaviour
Behaviour setting survey
This was a survey where you looked at what people did in certain settings. Wanted to know questions like:
* how many people were using it?
* how often did people use it?
This involved detailed observations in different settings
Behavior settings are theorized entities that help explain the relationship between individuals and the environment - particularly the social environment
Place Specificity
Roger Garlock Barker identified 884 places with distinct behaviour episodes or ‘streams’ (variation is across places not individuals
Situationism
(Roger Garock Barker) Situationism is when behaviour is radically situated - you can’t understand or predict behaviour without knowing situation or context
Why has environmental psychology only become a distinct and recognizable research field in 1960s/1970s?
- social issues - emerging awareness of real-life environmental issues
- scientific issues - dissatisfaction with psychology as a behavioural science
Also, Apollo 8 photo, Rachel Carson and the publish of silent spring, The cub of Rome and their limits to growth publication
Harold Proshansky views on social vs environmental psychology
Was a social psychologist but he did not like the route social psychology was going down, so he turned to environmental psychology.
* argued that social psychology and environmental psychology were completely different due to social psychology having lab based studies which have little impacts on environmental psychology due to no application or real world value
* Altman argued that we can still use concepts and theories from social psychology for environmental psychology
Place identity
Harold Proshansky explained this:
* where you are born can affect your identity
What is climate change?
a large-scale, long-term shift in the planet’s weather patterns and average temperatures
policy to avoid ‘dangerous’ climate change 2*C temp increase
What is pro environmental behaviour?
Stern, 2000: The extent to which a behaviour changes the availability of materials or energy from the environment or alters the structure and dynamics of ecosystems or the biosphere
Behaviours that harm the environment as LITTLE as possible
What is environmental behaviour?
Actions defined by impact on environment - energy use, recycling, water use, transport
It’s a separate category of behaviour
It’s defined by impact on environment
From a consumer perspective: consumption of energy such was water, heating, cooking, lighting
What is consumption (Household Energy Use)
The total personal consumption expenditure, or the purchase of goods & services out of income (economic def)
How do you measure energy intensity?
Useful way of standardizing consumption in terms of energy use?
Energy requirements of a product (MJ)
Price of a product (£)
= MJ per £
What are the two types of energy saving behaviours?
Energy efficiency: Buying more energy efficient equipment - happens once e.g. House insolation, energy efficient heating (Ppl are more likely to engage in these behaviours)
Curtailment behaviours: Reduce use of equipment/ change behaviours e.g., altering food pattern, hire a house keeper