ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Aurora Corpuz-Mendoza, Ph.D.

Department of Psychology, CSSP

Psychology and the Environment

The study of transactions between individuals and their physical

environment is a relatively new field. The growth of this field,
known broadly as people-environment research, has been stimulated
by increasing recognition that modern human problems are directly
linked to environmental problems.

Much research has since been conducted on how peoples concerns

for the natural environment are tied up with pollution & energy
shortages. In the effort to improve both traffic efficiency and safety,
research on transport systems has abandoned a strictly engineering
perspective and now employs a framework that includes interactions
between road users and the physical traffic environment.

Similar trends can be seen with respect to research attempts toward

better designs, in terms of quality and suitability, in everyday built
environments.

Early in the history of people-environment research, human

behavior was being investigated in terms of the meanings people
ascribe to different components of the environment. That is, the
personal meanings bestowed on a built setting by individuals
influence their transactions with these settings and are therefore
essential to their experience of the environment (Gilford, 2002).
I. ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION

Refers to the means by which we collect information about our

environment via our senses- what we see, hear, taste, feel and
smell

Rather than focus on the perception of objects, research

emphasizes large-scale scenes, treating them as whole entities

Perceivers often move around in and thru the scene; they are
part of the scene and therefore experience it from multiple
perspectives

Setting Itself Selected Distal Cues Selected Proximal Cues

Number of Trees
Undisturbed

Color of Water
Polluted

Actual Amount of Litter Perceived

Striking
Beauty Beauty
Height of Mountain
Comfortable
Sandiness of Beach
Crowded
Number of People

Achievement

Brunswiks Lens Model of Environmental Perception

Local Research on the concepts of Maaliwalas, Sakit, Amoy

CITY AND PARK PLANNING
ARCHITECTURE
II. ENVIRONMENTAL COGNITION

Refers to the way we acquire, store, organize and recall info

about locations, distances & arrangements in buildings, streets
and outdoors

Spatial Cognition is the thinking process that helps us

wayfind, estimate distances, recognize route cues, read maps

Place Memory and other Non-Spatial relations, including

mental models of Hazards, Droughts, Toxic Spills

Using the central concept of LEGIBILITY (K. Lynch), better

settings can be designed this refers to the ease by which a
setting may be recognized and organized by people

Key Elements are:

Paths roads, walkways, public transit routes

Edges nontravelled lines (e.g.. cliffs, lakeshores)

Districts moderate sized areas with a distinct

character

Nodes well-known points that people travel to and from

(e.g. key intersections, transit terminals, plazas)

Landmarks easily viewed elements, grand (Tall buildings)

Or small (Statues)

Research on Wayfinding with Color Coding, with Disabled

You-Are-Here Maps
III. ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES

Concern for Places:

Cognitive Component - thoughts

Affective Component - feelings

Conative Component behavioral intentions

Issues involve:

How to Increase Environmental Concern

How to Translate Concern to Action

Predictors of Responsible Behavior

Knowledge of environmental issues

Knowledge of action strategies

Internal locus of control

Verbal commitment

Environmental concern
IV. ENVIRONMENTAL APPRAISALS

PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS OF PLACES: PERSON-CENTERED

The meanings of built places are often derived from, and

are part of, the appraisals people make about these places.
These environmental appraisals are personal impressions
which vary in form:

Descriptions
Preferences
Aesthetic judgements
Emotional reactions
Impressions of risk and safety

Examining these appraisals allow for a discovery of the

different dimensions people use to describe and judge their
built spaces.
In the local setting, there are few studies to provide
information on the transactions between people and their
built environments. It is no wonder then that many local
architects and environmental designers continue to rely on
design norms and standards that have little consideration
for their effects on peoples thoughts, feelings and behavior.
This lack of sensitivity to personal, social and cultural
contexts may lead to costly mistakes as when housing and
relocation projects disregard the impact of their designs on
concerns such as employment opportunities and social ties.
 The Meaning of Houses

Conceptual Perceptual Physical

GOALS
VALUES

orientation, rules of
Size, height, color,
EXPECTATIONS

display, etc.
MEANING

cultural filter Built Environment

Behavior

Meanings can refer to 4 different processes:

Place Attachment experience of being part of a place

Ideological Communication as expression of some

philosophical, architectural, political concept to those
who view it

Personal Communication what the building says

about its occupants

Architectural Purpose the buildings function in

relation to its form
THE MEANINGS OF HOME can be grouped into 3
categories, using the Sikolohiyang Pilipino perspective:
(N. Del Castillo/A. Corpuz-Mendoza)

SELF/SARILI

SOCIAL RELATIONS/PAKIKIPAGKAPWA

PHYSICAL FEATURES/KAPALIGIRAN

V. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS

COLLECTIVE JUDGEMENTS OF PLACES

PLACE-CENTERED

AIM TO MEASURE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

POLICY-ORIENTED

EMPLOY OBSERVERS WITH AN EXPERT OR

FREQUENT-USER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PLACE

Technical Environment Assessments Employ Mechanical

Monitoring Equipment
Observer-based Environmental Assessments Employ
Human Perceptual Abilities
The Scenic Quality of a Natural Setting
The Environmental Quality of a Neighborhood
VI. PERSONALITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Personal dispositions are central to the concept of person-

environment compatibility, as one fundamental goal of
designers and architects is to create a good fit between
personas and their settings

One must first be able to accurately assess both persons and

environments

ENVIRONMENTALITY - Neighborhoods, hospitals,

schools, beaches also have enduring characteristics, just
like people

Environmental Personality Inventory

Environmental Sensitivity measures the environments

perceived impact (positive, negative, neutral) on oneself

Environmental Mobility measures the extent of how much

one wants to visit different places and how risky or exotic one
believes these places to be

Environmental Control measures how much one believes the

environment controls him/her, or vice-versa

Environmental Risk-taking measures ones propensity to

take risks involving the environment and to evaluate activities
as risky or not
VII. PERSONAL SPACE

VIII. TERRITORIALITY

IX. CROWDING

X. PRIVACY

XI. RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL

PSYCHOLOGY

XII. URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

XIII. WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENTAL

PSYCHOLOGY

XIV. EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL

PSYCHOLOGY

XV. NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

XVI. SOCIAL DESIGN