PSY511 Updated Highlighted Handouts 2024

Table of contents

Lesson

no. Lesson Title.

Page no. Lesson 1 · Lesson 2 · Lesson 3

Theories in Environmental Psychology

Lesson 4

Arousal theories

Lesson 5

Stimulus Load, Behavioral Constraint, and Adaptative Level theories

Lesson 6

Ecological theories and comparison of theories

Lesson 7

The present framework and future directions in Environmental Psychology (I)

Lesson 8

The present framework of Environmental Psychology (II)

Lesson 9

Elementary Psychophysics/Perception and its Cognitive Bases Lesson 10 Perception and its Cognitive Bases/Theories of Environmental Perception Lesson 11 Learning Theory/Probabilistic Functionalism and Environmental Cognition Lesson 12 Responses to novel environments and environmental cognition Lesson 13 Characteristics of cognitive maps Lesson 14 Environmental evaluation Lesson 15 Environmental Evaluation (Affective Bases of Environmental Evaluation) Lesson 16 Environmental Attitudes Lesson 17 Environmental Attitude Formation Lesson 18 Social Bases of Attitudes Lesson 19 Impact of Environment on Individual (Personality Development and Individual Differences) Lesson 20 Murray’s Theory of Personality Development and Interactionist Perspective Lesson 21 Environmental changes and stress Lesson 22 Stress as cause and effect Lesson 23 Physiology of stress Lesson 24 General Adaptation Syndrome Lesson 25 Measuring stress Lesson 26 Measuring stress Lesson 27 Moderators of the stress response Lesson 28 Environmental and Cultural Variances Lesson 29 Attribution Theory Lesson 30 Judgmental Shortcuts and Culture Lesson 31 Population and Culture Lesson 32 Impact of Environment on Its Incumbents Lesson 33 Effects of Urbanization Lesson 34 Problems related to Crowding Lesson 35 Impact of Population concentration on humans Lesson 36 The Distinction between Density and Crowding Lesson 37 Environmental changes in Rural Areas Lesson 38 The Built Environment and Human Adjustment Lesson 39 Prisons Lesson 40 Education environments Lesson 41 Institutional Design reconsidered & Queuing theory Lesson 42 Energy use in homes and commercial buildings Lesson 43 Conservation as an energy source Lesson 44 Understanding Urban Sprawl: challenges and solutions Lesson 45 Urban Blight

Lesson 1

The origins of environmental psychology can be traced back to the 1960s when researchers from various disciplines such as architecture, sociology, and psychology began to examine how the environment influences human behavior, cognition, and well-being (Steg, van den Berg, & de Groot, 2012). Initially, the focus was on the design and evaluation of built environments, such as homes, offices, schools, and hospitals. This was also known as architectural psychology or human factors (Clayton & Saunders, 2012). Later, the field expanded to include the natural environment, such as parks, forests, and wildlife. This was also called conservation or green psychology (Clayton & Saunders, 2012). Environmental psychology is a diverse and interdisciplinary field that addresses various topics, such as environmental perception, attitudes, and values, environmental behavior and decision-making, environmental stress and coping, environmental restoration and well-being, and environmental education and communication (Steg et al., 2012). Different environments can arouse different feelings in human beings. Our mental concepts and associations with a particular environmental type i.e., our perceptions about different surroundings also affect our physiology, feelings, and reactions. Any change in the environment also brings about a shift in our thinking styles and adaptive behaviors. Let's consider the following two situations:

1. Suppose you are sitting in your comfortable room with a cup of coffee while working on your laptop. Automatically you will feel pleasant and more motivated to involve yourself in creative tasks.
2. Now imagine that due to some emergency, you have to work on your laptop during a traffic jam while on public transport. You will feel unpleasant, your creative abilities will probably decline and you will think about getting rid of the task as soon as possible.

The first situation will perhaps give rise to feelings such as contentment, peace, joy, and relief. You will be able to think of multiple solutions to a single problem and develop a broadened understanding of the different demands that the environment presents. The second situation will probably give rise to feelings such as aggression, irritability, urgency, and dissatisfaction. It might even make you feel claustrophobic! In conclusion, it is fair to say that our environment and its different aspects can generate different feelings in us and ultimately different behavioral responses. With technology and rapid industrialization, the environment is becoming increasingly complex. The dangers of acid rain, the unreliability of nuclear power plants, and the difficulties in handling and disposing of toxic chemicals are being discussed. Additionally, the pace of suburban sprawl and urban decay is speeding up. Chemicals such as dioxin, formaldehyde, PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl), / and sulfur dioxide, once found only in the laboratories are becoming household words. Human beings are using and abusing the environment openly.

Many people are working hard to fix the environment, but there are still a lot of problems. Scientists, engineers, political and spiritual leaders, and the general public care more about the environment now, but they don't always have the money, skills, or tools to do something about it.