Week 11 Review - Environmental Psychology

Question 1

What is Environmental psychology?

Answer 1

interdisciplinary field of study that examines the complex interrelationships between individuals and their physical and virtual settings

Question 2

Lewin’s field theory

Answer 2

behaviour is a function of the combination of the person and the forces in the surrounding environment or field; B = f(P,E)

Question 3

a person’s behaviour could be predicted more accurately on the basis of the ______ in which they were located rather than relying on aspects of their __________.

Answer 3

Situation, personality

Question 4

What are Environmental cues?

Answer 4

elements in the environment that convey information that triggers affective reactions

Question 5

What is a normative goal?

Answer 5

to act appropriately (to fit in to society where we live)

Question 6

What is a hedonic goal?

Answer 6

to feel better right now (fulfill our needs)

Question 7

What is a gain goal?

Answer 7

to guard and improve one’s resources

Question 8

What is personal space?

Answer 8

interpersonal area surrounding a person’s body, undefined by visible boundaries, and determined by circumstance, distance, angle of orientation and type of interaction

Question 9

What is Proxemics?

Answer 9

The study of the perception, use, and communication of personal space.

Question 10

Crowding

Answer 10

a personally defined subjective experience of too many people in a given space,

altered by people per m, heat, alcohol, aggression, unhealthy environments, and relationship with homelessness.

Question 11

What is Territoriality?

Answer 11

a pattern of behavior and attitudes held by an individual or group based on perceived, attempted, or actual control of a definable space, object, or idea by means of habitual occupation, defence, personalisation, and demarcation.

Question 12

What is primary territoriality?

Answer 12

space owned or controlled on a relatively permanent basis (e.g., home, bedroom)

Question 13

What is tertiary territoriality?

Answer 13

public area open to anyone (e.g., beaches, footpath, public transport)

Question 14

What is place attachment?

Answer 14

Affective bonds we form with place (intersection of people and their physical, virtual, or imaginary setting)

Question 15

Scannell and Gifford (2010) proposed a three-dimensional framework that suggests that place attachment is a multidimensional concept with person, place, and process dimensions.

Answer 15

person: individual + collectively based meanings (memories of places, sacred places
place: physical components and social aspects
process: how people attach psychologically to places and how they express it

Question 16

tragedy of the commons:

Answer 16

depletion of a shared resource due to individuals, acting to further their own interest, behaving in a manner which is contrary to the common good of the group

Question 17

What are heuristics?

Answer 17

Mental shortcuts that can facilitate problem-solving and probability judgments.

Question 18

How do heuristics play into climate change denial?

Answer 18

people use easily accessible judgements (temperature that day) as opposed to less accessible ones (global temperature trends) to inform their climate change perceptions (global warming)

o availability heuristic: if relevant weather events are accessible/come to mind, they influence our perceptions
o affect heuristic: mental shortcut in which people make decisions heavily influenced by their current emotions

Question 19

Group processes in the debate over climate change

Answer 19

stereotype each other in ingroup-favouring ways (e.g., “we are the defenders of the environment, they are the destroyers”)

use of ingroup messengers to increase norm conformity (more trusted/credible)

use of superordinate goals to reduce intergroup conflict

Question 20

Gifford’s (2011) barriers (‘dragons of inaction’) hindering people’s motivation to engage in action to tackle climate change

Answer 20

Limited cognition, Comparision with others, Perceived risks, Sunk Costs, Ideologies, Discredence, and Limited behaviour.

Question 21

Norms predicting pro-environmental behaviours - Cialdini’s (2008) study examining hotel towel reuse program

Answer 21

5 messages with different focus
o Help the hotel save energy
o Help save the environment
o Partner with is to help save the environment
o Help save resources for future generations.
o Join your fellow citizens in helping to save the environment.
#(5) descriptive norm (person’s perception of how people typically behave) most effective

Question 22

Attitude-behaviour models

Answer 22

e.g., theory of planned behaviour applied to recycling (attitudes, subjective norm/pressure from others, identity)

Question 23

empathy-altruism hypothesis

Answer 23

more empathetic individuals reported greater concern for the harmful consequences of environmental problems and also higher levels of pro-environmental behaviour (Schultz, 2001)

Question 24

Green consumerism

Answer 24

Myers (2003): materialism does not enhance life quality

identity: as a green consumer motivates purchasing choices