Psychological Effects Of Built Emvironment Flashcards
Ulrich- window study
Sample- 46 patients (15 female 8 male) who had undergone gallbladder surgery in Pennsylvania. 20-69. Used matched participants design ( matched on age, previous surgery, obesity, smoking status) so only difference in people was their view.
Controls were having no history of psychological disturbances no serious post- operative complications.
Method- 23 patients to brick wall room and 23 to tree view room. Records obtained from 1972-1981.
Everything in the room was the same except the view (dimensions, size of window).
DV: length of hospitalisation, number and strength of alagesies taken after surgery, nurses notes, number and strength for anxiety medication.
Results:
People with tree view spent less time in hospital, took less alagesies after surgery. Person with brick wall view was reported to be ‘upset and crying’.
Applications: give people a stimulating view to improve mental health and physical health e.g. water, cityscape.
White et al- green spaces
White et al asked 10,000 people across the UK from 1991-2008 about their life satisfaction, location, mental health, living condition.
- income, housing type, employment and marital status were controlled for.
- it was found that living near a green space improved life satisfaction and less mental distress.
Armitage- cul de sacs and footpaths
Armitage analysed housing crime data in greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Kent from Jan 2007 to December 2008 and found that the least crime occurs in sinuous cul de sacs (curvy, without leak footpaths and alleys than through roads).
She found that having footpaths can be included when they are wide, well lit, well used, short, direct and not running alongside or along the rear of properties.
Newman defensible space
Defensible space is about designing buildings so all space appears to belong to someone. Based on 2 housing projects in New York, he found that high rise flats (with elevators and hallways) had highest crime rate compared to walk up/ courtyard based buildings.
To reduce crime rate:
Surveillance: a courtyard makes it so all entrances can be overlooked. The physical layout should make it easy for intruders to be spotted.
Image: personalising a residences makes it seem more private/ suggest individuality so crime is less likely.
Zone of territorial influence: markers e.g. fences or hedges to show an area is private rather than public.
Milieu- Set building in more personal spaces like courtyards rather than open spaces which have an easy escape route for vandals.
Cohen et al- noise
Tested hearing and reading levels at the top of a building. Checked for hearing impairments and effects of social class/ education of parents.
Had to recognise similar sounding words e.g. beer and gear and say whether they were the same or different.
Found a significant correlation between floor level and auditory discrimination (people higher up had better hearing).
Also a correlation between world knowledge, reading comprehension and reading total.
