AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY AND AFFECT UNDER CONDITIONS OF REDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULATION

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of 1-hour sessions of flotation REST (restricted environmental stimulation technique) on mood and autobiographical memory. In Study 1, flotation was shown to produce a significant decrease in self-rated anxiety and arousal. Subjects in Study 2, who experienced similar changes in mood and arousal, reported that autobiographical memories retrieved in REST were more pleasant and intense, and had been more frequently recalled in the past, than those recollected in a control environment.     

MEANING AND FORM IN COMMUNITY PERCEPTION OF TOWN CHARACTER

This study explored the notion of ‘town character’ within the context of one Australian coastal town from the perspective of the community. Responses from a sample of residents to a set of local environmental features were collected using adjective rating scales. Data concerning the perceived character compatibility of features was also collected. Several multivariate statistical procedures, including multi-dimensional scaling, were used to explore the underlying structure in the response pattern and to determine the salience of meanings related to the community's conception of town character, as conveyed through local landscape features. Town character in the context of this study was found to be related to a variety of environmental features and associated meanings. Specifically, a positive character image was strongly supported by natural landscape features associated with their naturalness, beauty, pleasantness, distinctiveness, and interest, by certain built features, (specifically landmark features), associated with their distinctiveness, pleasantness, charm, familiarity, and interest, and by popular social settings associated with connotations of familiarity, friendliness, openness, liveliness, and safety. Features identified as incompatible with local character were associated with negative meanings that included boredom, ugliness, lack of charm, lack of stimulation, monotony, unpleasantness, and being ordinary.     

Mixed signals: market incentives, recycling, and the price spike of 1995

Environmental economics assumes that reliance on price signals, adjusted for externalities, normally leads to efficient solutions to environmental problems. We explore a limiting case, when market volatility created ‘mixed signals’: prices of waste paper and other recycled materials were suddenly extremely high in 1994–1995, then plummeted back to traditional low levels in 1996. These rapid reversals resulted in substantial economic and political costs. A review of academic and business literature suggests six possible explanations for abrupt price spikes. An econometric analysis of the prices of wood pulp and waste paper shows that factor which explained price changes in 1983–1993 contribute very little to understanding the subsequent price spike. From the econometric analysis and from other sources, we conclude that speculation must have played a major role in the price spike, perhaps in combination with modest effects from changes in government policy and in export demand. If speculatively driven price spikes can disrupt an environmentally important industry such as recycling, what is the appropriate role for public policy? When price volatility is sufficiently disruptive, then measures to control or stabilize prices, rather than interfering with the market, might help to make it more efficient.     

EFFECTS OF FLOTATION REST ON CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND ORIGINALITY

The purpose of the present study was to explore whether or not flotation restricted environmental stimulation technique (REST) facilitates the creative problem-solving ability and originality. Sample 1 consisted of 40 subjects, 20 men and 20 women, randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a nonREST group (armchair-sitting) or to a floating REST group. Both groups worked on a `chain puzzle' for 5 min and were then interrupted with 45 min of sitting or floating. The subjects were then given the task of continuing with the creative problem-solving test. Sample 2 consisted of 54 subjects, 27 men and 27 women, randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a nonREST group (armchair-sitting), a dryREST group (lying on a couch in a dark room) or a flotation REST group. The groups then had to fill in a couple of paper-and-pen tests and were given scores on fluency, obvious answers, original answers, elegance and deductive thinking. The results (impaired creative problem-solving ability and higher originality for the floating group) were interpreted as an indication of cognitive function where the primary process still dominates over the secondary process.     

Perceived hospital environment quality indicators: A study of orthopaedic units

The purposes of this study are to develop perceived hospital environment quality indicators for rating hospital settings, and to use those scales to compare hospitals selected to differ in their spatial–physical humanization (design features that support users’ needs and well-being). Orthopaedic units in three different hospitals in a major Italian city were selected to represent low, moderate and high levels of environmental humanization. Two architects rated the settings on 120 qualities and provided modest corroboration for the three levels. In each orthopaedic unit, patients, visitors and staff completed questionnaires including four scales about the physical and social environments (N=202). A total of 12 Perceived Hospital Environment Quality Indicators (PHEQIs) scales emerged from factor and reliability analyses of these responses. The PHEQIs had face validity, reflecting the main features articulated by the scientific literature on humanization, and overall had good inter-item reliability. ANOVAs supported hypotheses that patients and visitors would rate humanized environments more positively, although staff members seemed to be less sensitive than service users to differences in design quality.     

Quality of life and sustainability: Toward person–environment congruity

In the light of sustainable development requirements, environmental psychology has an increasing role to play in addressing people–environment congruity. People–environment congruity refers to the interrelation between the individual and his or her (especially: residential) environment, considering the match between individual life satisfaction and objective standards of living. Promoting human well-being requires looking beyond singular effects of environmental features and considering people's overall relationship to their environment. This leads us to look at the residential environment as the place where people–environment congruity is crucial, and to propose a framework of analyses of the conditions of congruity between objective and subjective assessment of environmental stressors in relation to the individual and social expression of well-being. The paper concludes with the implications of people–environment congruity for research and policy-making about sustainable development.     

IMMEDIATE CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES ON MATERNAL BEHAVIOR: ENVIRONMENTAL AFFORDANCES AND DEMANDS

Although it is commonly recognized that parenting is multiply determined, mechanisms by which the context influences parental behavior have rarely been examined. In this paper, the role of environmental affordances and demands are described and tested in two observational studies. In Study 1, mothers and their 3-year-old children were observed in three settings where affordances and demands differed: the home, park, and laboratory. In Study 2, mothers and their children engaged in three laboratory conditions in which the amount of demands on the mother was manipulated. Several child-rearing variables showed systematic relations with the presence of affordances and demands. It is concluded that affordances and demands play an important role in influencing maternal behavior by acting as environmental cues for place-related behavior. Further, it is proposed that parental perceptions of the immediate context and the recognition of appropriate environmental cues are paramount in understanding the variability of parental behavior across situational contexts.     

The relationship between spatial ability and environmental knowledge

This study examined the relationships between four standardized measures of spatial ability—the Embedded Figures Test (EFT), the Mental Rotations Test (MRT), the Differential Aptitude Spatial Relations subtest (DAT), and the Building Memory Test (BMT)—and two measures of environmental knowledge. Three hundred and fifty-three college undergraduates were administered the EFT, MRT, DAT, BMT and two measures of environmental knowledge-a landmark location (LM) and route knowledge (RK) task. The two environmental knowledge tasks were based on a slide-simulated walk through an unfamiliar urban environment. A principal components analysis of the above six measures produced two factors; one consisting of the four spatial ability tests, and the other the two environmental knowledge tasks. The correlation between the two factors was 0·37, indicating that the spatial ability factor accounted for 13·69% of the variance in the environmental knowledge factor.     

ON THE MEASUREMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PUBLIC PROJECTS FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: The major objectives are (1) to identify the problems involved in measuring the environmental impacts of public projects from selected perspectives, and (2) to elaborate a sociological approach used in an empirical investigation in that respect. The construct of environmental impact of a planned action is generally operationalized from different perspectives and with different methodological emphases in the various disciplines. Even the term environment does not elicit agreement among users as to its exact meaning. Although there has been a steady increase in the number of studies from a sociological perspective concerning environmental problems, there is lack of sociological counsel in writing environmental impact statements. Overall, we lack sociological methodology and operational procedures for that purpose. In an attempt to bring some empirical focus to this field, attitudinal measures employed to discover how residents of a river basin perceived negative and positive environmental impacts of a proposed watershed development project are reviewed. These come from a study of creation of the Cooper Reservoir and Dam in Texas. Data on 343 heads of households m the selected areas were collected through structured questionnaires with items on personal information, a vested interest scale, a knowledge of the project scale, and an environmental impact scale. Data show that perception of impacts by residents is influenced significantly by degree of their vested interests involved. Variables for inclusion in a sociological model of environmental impact are suggested.     

DECISION-MAKING IN THE DEVLOPMENT OF URBAN WATERFRONTS FOR PARK/BUSINESS USE1

Abstract: Opportunities for the development of an amalgam of park and leisure-oriented commercial establishments in urban-core waterfont settings exist in many U.S. cities. Public awareness of the need to enhance the environmental quality of these waterfont areas has resulted in a demand for planning and implementation action. However, the lack of understanding of urban political systems has been an inhibiting factor in the development of this park/ business concept. The major factors that influence the decision-making process leading to the development of urban-core waterfronts for park/business use are identified inthis paper. Understanding this decision-making process can aid project implementation and avoid waste of planning effort in time, dollars, and productivity.     

CORRELATION OF COPROSTANOL TO ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN COASTAL AND ESTUARINE SEDIMENTS OF THE U.S.1

ABSTRACT: Results from the National Status and Trends Program, a nationwide effort to evaluate U.S. coastal and estuarine environmental quality, are analyzed to provide information about regional sources of organic contaminants in the benthic environment. Spearman's rank correlation procedure is applied to measurements of coprostanol, a chemical tracer of sewage, and three classes of organic compounds in sediments. The results suggest that discharges from publicly owned treatment works are responsible for concentrations of the organic compounds encountered in the northeastern coastal region, while other sources may predominate in the other regions of the country.     

A method for regional-scale material flow and decoupling analysis: A demonstration case study of Aichi prefecture, Japan

We have developed a method to analyse the annual material flow in a prefecture and have calculated environmental indicators for a prefecture. Material flow analysis (MFA) is important to clarify the structure of a regional society and obtain environmental indicators for a circular society. However, MFA has not advanced in local governments because of few local statistics. We have developed a method to analyse the annual material flow in Aichi prefecture from 1980 to 2000 using an input–output (I–O) table and statistics of Aichi. We have verified the accuracy of this method by comparing its results for 2000 which calculated on the basis of official I–O table for 1995 with the I–O table data for 2000; the correlation coefficient obtained in this case is greater than 0.95. Moreover, by performing MFA, we have estimated the resource consumption and decoupling indicator of each industry in Aichi prefecture from 1980 to 2000. We could obtain more detailed and accurate environmental indicators by using our method. From these results, we could estimate the progress of Aichi prefecture towards a circular society.     

EFFICIENCY OF HYDROLOGIC DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS ROLE OF TYPE I AND II ERRORS1

ABSTRACT The efficiency of hydrologic data collection systems is relevant to solution of environmental problems, scientific understanding of hydrologic processes, model-building and management of water resources. Because these goals may be overlapping and non-commensurate, design of data networks is not simple. Identified are four elements of error or risk in such networks: (a) choice of variables and mathematical model for the same process, (b) accuracy of model parameter estimates, (c) acceptance of wrong hypothesis or rejection of correct hypothesis and (d) economic losses associated with error. Of these four, the classical hypothesis testing problem is specifically evaluated in terms of costs of type I and II errors for simple and composite hypotheses; mathematical models for these economic analyses also include costs of sample data and costs of waiting while new data is obtained. An illustrative computational example focuses on the hypothesis that natural recharge might be augmented by a system of pumping wells along an ephemeral channel. The relationship of the hypothesis testing problem to Bayesian decision theory is discussed; it is felt that the latter theory offers a more comprehensive framework for design and use of hydrologic data networks.     

Newspaper response to flood and erosion hazards on the North Lake Erie shore

The study is primarily concerned with newspaper responses to flooding and erosion associated with Great Lakes high water in 1952–1953 and 1972–1974. Underlying the research is a general interest in informing the public more widely on choices available in resource and environmental decision making.     

In the midst of change

It is characteristic to be in the midst of change and not to recognize it. In retrospect 1970–72 at Clark University presaged a successful universalization of environmental perception, but it was a high point rather than a beginning in pursuit of the higher aspirations of the then-fledgling field. These aspirations—to solve practical problems, to develop a common methodology, to bridge the disciplines, and to develop or revise a theory—have never been fully realized. Widely accepted today, environmental perception and behavior mirrors the everyday differences within and between disciplines and thus is divided by theoretical ideology, substantive focus and views as to what constitutes data. As with the individual disciplines, I have successfully integrated environmental perception into my own work, moving it from the exceptional to the everyday, and with some regret, from the magic of 1970–72 to the science of today.     

Development of a scale of perceived environmental annoyances in urban settings

The construction and validation of an original scale was pursued to measure perceived environmental annoyances in urban settings. This scale included all the potentially aversive situations encountered in the daily lives of city-dwellers. The answers of 926 French respondents to our initial 68-item scale were first analysed. Using statistical techniques, the number of items was reduced to 51 from which the factorial structure was extracted. Seven principal dimensions emerged: feelings of insecurity, inconveniences associated with using public transport, environmental annoyances and concerns for global ecology, lack of control over time related to using cars, incivilities associated with the sharing of public spaces between different users, lack of efficiency resulting from the density of the population, and an insecure and run-down living environment. We also examined these dimensions of perceived environmental annoyances in urban settings according to the sex, age, occupational category and geographical location of respondents. The validated multidimensional scale constitutes a promising instrument for urban research that could usefully be employed in the emerging field at the interface between health psychology and environmental psychology.     

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

The work presented in the present article was carried out for the purpose of evaluating the effects of the limitations imposed on children's autonomy on their acquisition of environmental knowledge. The representation of the home-school intinerary was investigated in 8–11 year old children who travelled along the itinerary in different ways (on their own, accompanied by an adult, on foot or by car). The tasks included a sketch map of the route and drawing the route on a blank map of the neighbourhood. In order to investigate the role of autonomy in the development of a full understanding of the environment in which they live, the children were asked to use landmarks to find their way around a blank map of the quarter and to mark on it the position of significant components of their environment. The children's freedom of movement in the quarter was investigated by indirect observation.The data were analysed and discussed as a function of the children's method of mobility, their age and gender. The results confirm the importance of the type of individual—environment interaction, in particular of freedom of movement, in acquiring, processing and structuring environmental knowledge. Children going to school on their own achieved the best performances in both making a sketch map of the itinerary and in drawing their movements on a blank map of the quarter. Even when the representation of the environment in which they live is taken into account, the key role played by autonomy is confirmed.     

An information–motivation–behavioral skills assessment of curbside recycling behavior

Despite annual increases in the amount of material solid waste (MSW) that is recycled in the United States, the overall amount of MSW generated continues to increase. In an effort to identify and test specific predictors of curbside recycling behavior, the current study adapted the empirically validated Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills model (IMB), traditionally used to predict personal health behavior, to explain curbside recycling behavior. Using structured computer assisted telephone surveys with two random community samples; structural equation models indicated that the IMB model significantly predicted curbside recycling. Data from the current study provides specific information about critical psychosocial determinants of curbside recycling behavior and public policy implications.     

NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS IN WATER AS RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL SEVI'ING IN NEBRASKA1

ABSTRACT: Spatial distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus in water were related to environmental setting as part of a regional water-quality assessment of the Central Nebraska Basins. The environmental settings (Sandhills, Loess Hills, Glaciated Area, and Platte Valley) were characterized by different concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in ground water and stream water. Statistically significant differences in nitrate concentrations in both ground-water and stream-water samples were related to regional distributions of cropland and rangeland. Nitrate concentrations were larger, especially in shallow ground water, in environmental settings dominated by cropland and associated fertilizer use than in settings dominated by rangeland. Similarly, total-nitrogen and nitrate concentrations were relatively large in selected streams draining primarily cropland. Comparative concentrations of phosphorus in stream water on the basis of environmental setting were similar to those of nitrogen, although the largest phosphorus concentrations probably relate to wastewater discharge into small streams. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in much of the Platte River apparently reflected the quality of water entering the study unit from upstream and limited base-flow contributions from within the Platte Valley itself.