Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments. When solving problems involving human-environment interactions, whether global or local, one must have a model of human nature that predicts the environmental conditions under which humans will behave in a decent and creative manner. With such a model one can design, manage, protect and/or restore environments that enhance reasonable behavior, predict what the likely outcome will be when these conditions are not met, and diagnose problem situations. The field develops such a model of human nature while retaining a broad and inherently multidisciplinary focus. It explores such dissimilar issues as common property resource management, wayfinding in complex settings, the effect of environmental stress on human performance, the characteristics of restorative environments, human information processing, and the promotion of durable conservation behavior. Although "environmental psychology" is arguably the best-known and most comprehensive description of the field, it is also known as human factors science, cognitive ergonomics, environmental social sciences, architectural psychology, socio-architecture, ecological psychology, ecopsychology, behavioral geography, environment-behavior studies, person-environment studies, environmental sociology, social ecology, and environmental design research.
History
The exact beginning of environmental psychology is unknown. The end of World War II and the 1960s were fundamental in the need for environmental psychology because they caused shifts in society that created a high demand for places and spaces that was previously unparalleled (Proshansky; The Field of Environmental Psychology: Securing Its Future; p. 1467-1468). Criticism of laboratory-experimentation and social movements also helped develop environmental psychology. (Proshansky; The Field of Environmental Psychology: Securing Its Future). This has led to a shift from the laboratory research to research in the natural environment.
Universities Offering Ecopsychology-related Courses of Study
The University of Surrey was the first institution that offered an architectural psychology course in the UK starting in 1973/74. Since then there have been over 300 graduates from over 25 countries. Other Universities in the UK now offer courses on the subject, which is an expanding field. The Environmental Psychology Research Group (EPRG), of which students on the MSC in Environmental Psychology are automatically members, has been undertaking research for more than thirty years.
The University of Michigan offers a Master of Sciences degree in Natural Resources and Environment, with one concentration called "Behavior, Education, and Communication." The focus is on how people form their relationships with the natural world, including how they make environmentally-related consumer decisions, as well as a focus on how "nearby nature" affects people's mental and physical health.
Arizona State University offers a Masters in Environmental Resources, which takes more of a planning approach to the field. Antoich New England Graduate School also offers graduate programs involving environmental education through a planning approach. With environmental psychology being such a diverse field with many different approaches, many students have more of a variety of programs to choose from than they realize.
Brigham Young University offers both masters and doctorate programs within the field of environmental psychology. That particular program is very intensive for it includes a number of different areas including ecology, conservation biology, geography, botany, environmental law, environmental quality and public health, environmental science, environmental studies, resource policy and planning, among many others.
Prescott College offers a Masters program that incorporates a number of the foundations of environmental psychology as well. The sub-fields in which the program provides includes enviromental education, environmental studies, ecology, botany, resource policy, and planning.
The Environmental Psychology PhD Program at The Graduate Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to examining and changing "the serious problems associated with the urban environment with a view towards affecting public policy" using social science theory and research methods. The GC-CUNY was the first academic institution in the U.S. to grant a PhD in Environmental Psychology. As discussed in detail on the program website, "recent research has addressed the experiences of recently housed homeless people, the privatization of public space, socio-spatial conflicts, children's safety in the public environment, relocation, community based approaches to housing, the design of specialized environments such as museums, zoos, gardens and hospitals, the changing relationships between home, family and work, the environmental experiences of gay men and lesbians, and access to parks and other urban 'green spaces.'" see also The Center for Human Environments.
Another strain of environmental psychology developed out of ergonomics in the 1960s. The beginning of this movement can be traced back to David Canter's work and the founding of the "Performance Research Unit" at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1966, which expanded traditional ergonomics to study broader issues relating to the environment and the extent to which human beings were "situated" within it (cf situated cognition). Canter led the field in the UK for years and was the editor of the Journal of Environmental Psychology for over 20 years, but has recently turned his attention to criminology.
Orientations
Problem Oriented
The field of environmental psychology recognizes the need to be problem-oriented. Environmental psychology addresses environmental problems such as density and crowding, noise pollution, sub-standard living, and urban decay (Proshansky; The Field of Environmental Psychology: p. 1477). Noise increases environmental stress. Although it has been found that control and predictability are the greatest factors in stressful effects of noise; context, pitch, source and habituation are also important variables . Environmental psychologists have theorized that density and crowding can also have an adverse effect on mood and may cause stress-related illness. To understand and solve environmental problems, environmental psychologists believe concepts and principles should come directly from the physical settings and problems being looked at (Proshansky; The Field of Environmental Psychology: Securing Its Future; p. 1477). For example, factors that reduce feelings of crowding within buildings include:
- Windows- particularly ones that can be opened and ones that provide a view as well as light
- High ceilings
- Doors to divide spaces (Baum and Davies) and provide access control
- Room shape- square rooms feel less crowded than rectangular ones (Dresor)
- Using partitions to create smaller, personalized spaces within an open plan office or larger work space.
- Providing increases in cognitive control over aspects of the internal environment, such as ventilation, light, privacy, etc.
- Conducting a cognitive appraisal of an environment and feelings of crowding in different settings. For example, one might be comfortable with crowding at a concert but not in school corridors.
- Creating a defensible space (Calhoun)
Personal space and territory
Having an area of personal territory in a public space, e.g. at the office, is a key feature of many architectural designs. Having such a 'defensible space' (term coined by Calhoun during his experiment on rats) can reduce the negative effects of crowding in urban environments. Placing barriers and personalizing the space are ways of creating personal space, for example, using pictures of one's family. This increases cognitive control as one sees them self as having control over the entrants to the personal space and therefore able to control the level of density and crowding in the space.
Systems Oriented
Systems orientation can be applied to the individual level of analysis and higher order levels of analysis needed by difficult environmental problems surrounding groups and organizations. Literature on the topics of personal space, crowding, etc. show that individual system analyses do not generally occur on the individual level. Research relies on the approach of the laboratory-experimental model focusing on cause-and-effect relationships. ( Proshansky; The Field of Environmental Psychology: Securing Its Future; p. 1481)
Interdisciplinary Oriented
Environmental psychology is a field that relies on interaction with other disciplines. There are three necessary fields that environmental psychology must collaborate with: the behavioral sciences (sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, etc.), interspecialization (other psychologies such as developmental, social, cognitive, etc.), and the design professions (architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, etc.) (Proshansky; The Field of Environmental Psychology: Securing Its Future; p. 1482). The interaction among these fields helps environmental psychology address problems with multiple perspectives.
Space-
Precision Environmental, Inc.; Thermal Pest Control, Asbestos, Lead ...
Precision Environmental, Inc. was founded at Stanford University in 1982, with the purpose of providing quality environmental contracting services to clients with asbestos ...
Precision Environmental Management Corporation
Terry Peterson & Phil Peterson [No Relation] enjoyed a day of fishing off the coast of Cape Cod with team members of Jay Cashman. Everyone enjoyed a nice day at sea - and were ...
Welcome to Precision Environmental Co. Website
Provides selective demolition and environmental services, including asbestos and lead abatement, hazardous waste remediation, indoor air quality, and floor/surface preparation.
Precision Environmental Management Corporation: August 2008
Terry Peterson & Phil Peterson [No Relation] enjoyed a day of fishing off the coast of Cape Cod with team members of Jay Cashman. Everyone enjoyed a nice day at sea - and were ...
Precision Environmental Services
We are a quality team to help complete your land development, excavating, site work, golf course construction, housing development, or Land Fill, from large to small. How can we ...
Precision Environmental - mold removal, asbestos removal, lead paint ...
Precision Environmental pest control in California. Safely kill mold and dust mites. Remove toxic mold, asbestos removal, lead paint removal, safe non-toxic control with heat.
Precision Environmental Management - Transportation and Disposal ...
Precision Environmental Management Corporation is a leader in providing cost effective solutions in the transportation and disposal of contaminated soils and all classes of ...
Precision Environmental Control
Precision Environmental Control REQUIREMENT - PRECISI0N ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION ACROSS VARIABLE SETTINGS The setting and climate of locations for data centers, telecommunication ...
Precision Environmental Inc.
Address and Contact Information: 36-15A 23rd Street Long Island City, NY 11106 Contact: Mr. Michael Parpounas Phone: 718-383-2626 Fax: 718-383-7780
Untitled Document [precisionenvironmentalny.com]
Geology & Hydrogeology Groundwater & Soil Remediation Environmental Site Assessments Tank Compliance Audits System Control Panels Engineering & Design