Influence of environmental preference and environment type congruence on judgments of restoration potential

Abstract This study (N = 120) explored whether congruence between environmental preference and environment type influenced judgments of likelihood for directed attention restoration. The study differs from previous research by operationally defining preference as a representation of place identity from environmental psychology rather than as the attractiveness of the location. Preference was also treated as an influence on judgments of restoration potential instead of a consequence of directed attention fatigue. Persons experiencing images congruent with their environmental preference were expected to rate similar locations highest in restoration potential compared to incongruent images; however, this was not fully supported. Those with a nature preference perceived congruent environments as the most potentially restorative, but this was higher than, rather than equal to, the restoration expectations of those in the urban congruent condition. As expected, nature preferences influenced judgments of urban settings; this incongruence was rated least restorative. Persons with an urban preference perceived both nature and urban environments equal in restoration potential; this may explain circumstances when environment choice appears inconsistent to cognitive restoration goals. Water quality in the settings also influenced restoration judgments; pleasant waterscapes resulted in the best expectations. The findings illustrate the potential contribution of place identity from environmental psychology to the study of attention restoration outcomes and further support the growing literature endorsing the positive potential of urban settings.

[1]  R. Ryan,et al.  Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature , 2010 .

[2]  A. Kjellgren,et al.  A comparison of the restorative effect of a natural environment with that of a simulated natural environment , 2010 .

[3]  M. Berman,et al.  Directed Attention as a Common Resource for Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation , 2010, Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

[4]  K. Korpela,et al.  Effectiveness of favorite-place prescriptions: a field experiment. , 2009, American journal of preventive medicine.

[5]  G. Kyle,et al.  Effects of place attachment on users’ perceptions of social and environmental conditions in a natural setting , 2004 .

[6]  M. Depledge,et al.  Blue space: The importance of water for preference, affect, and restorativeness ratings of natural and built scenes , 2010 .

[7]  Ke-Tsung Han.  A reliable and valid self-rating measure of the restorative quality of natural environments , 2003 .

[8]  P. Grahn,et al.  Landscape planning and stress , 2003 .

[9]  M. Scopelliti,et al.  Choosing restorative environments across the lifespan: A matter of place experience , 2004 .

[10]  R. Kaplan,et al.  Patterns of Environmental Preference , 1977 .

[11]  G. Kyle,et al.  Linking place preferences with place meaning: An examination of the relationship between place motivation and place attachment , 2004 .

[12]  J Driver,et al.  A selective review of selective attention research from the past century. , 2001, British journal of psychology.

[13]  Ethan Kross,et al.  Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression. , 2012, Journal of affective disorders.

[14]  R. Berto.  Exposure to restorative environments helps restore attentional capacity , 2005 .

[15]  Hong C. Chen,et al.  PERCEPTION OF THE RESTORATIVE POTENTIAL OF NATURAL AND OTHER SETTINGS , 2002 .

[16]  T. Gärling,et al.  A measure of restorative quality in environments , 1997 .

[17]  R. Berto,et al.  Restorativeness, preference and the perceived naturalness of places , 2002 .

[18]  Rita Berto,et al.  An exploratory study of the effect of high and low fascination environments on attentional fatigue , 2010 .

[19]  C. Ferguson.  An effect size primer: A guide for clinicians and researchers. , 2009 .

[20]  Igor Knez,et al.  Attachment and identity as related to a place and its perceived climate , 2005 .

[21]  G. Evans,et al.  Restorative Effects of Natural Environment Experiences , 1991 .

[22]  H. Staats,et al.  Where to recover from attentional fatigue : An expectancy-value analysis of environmental preference , 2003 .

[23]  Shirlynn Spacapan,et al.  The aftereffects of stress: An attentional interpretation , 1978 .

[24]  Ke-Tsung Han.  An Exploration of Relationships Among the Responses to Natural Scenes , 2010 .

[25]  John M. Zelenski,et al.  Underestimating Nearby Nature , 2011, Psychological science.

[26]  A. V. D. Berg,et al.  Is love for green in our genes? A critical analysis of evolutionary assumptions in restorative environments research , 2011 .

[27]  D. Karmanov,et al.  Assessing the restorative potential of contemporary urban environment(s): Beyond the nature versus urban dichotomy , 2008 .

[28]  R. Ulrich.  Visual landscapes and psychological well‐being , 1979 .

[29]  G. Kyle,et al.  Effect of Activity Involvement and Place Attachment on Recreationists' Perceptions of Setting Density , 2004 .

[30]  Marco Lalli,et al.  Urban-related identity: Theory, measurement, and empirical findings , 1992 .

[31]  H. Gutscher,et al.  Walking in “wild” and “tended” urban forests: The impact on psychological well-being , 2011 .

[32]  J. Hipp,et al.  Effect of environmental conditions on perceived psychological restorativeness of coastal parks , 2011 .

[33]  S. Koole,et al.  Environmental preference and restoration: (How) are they related? , 2003 .

[34]  D. S. Davis,et al.  Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. , 2003 .

[35]  B. Gatersleben,et al.  Greenery on residential buildings: Does it affect preferences and perceptions of beauty? , 2011 .

[36]  T. R. Herzog,et al.  A cognitive analysis of preference for waterscapes , 1985 .

[37]  M. B. Nebel,et al.  Assessing the restorative components of environments , 2003 .

[38]  Giuseppe Carrus,et al.  Comparison of two different approaches for assessing the psychological and social dimensions of green spaces , 2006 .

[39]  H. Proshansky.  The City and Self-Identity , 1978 .

[40]  M. Frese,et al.  Mental fatigue and the control of cognitive processes: effects on perseveration and planning. , 2003, Acta psychologica.

[41]  Stephen Kaplan,et al.  The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework , 1995 .

[42]  G. Evans,et al.  Validation of a measure of perceived environmental restorativeness. , 1996 .

[43]  M. Hidalgo,et al.  Effect of Urban Vegetation on Psychological Restorativeness , 2005, Psychological reports.

[44]  Tommy Gärling,et al.  RATING SCALE MEASURES OF RESTORATIVE COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENTS , 2001 .

[45]  V. Vignoles,et al.  Towards an integrative model of place identification: Dimensionality and predictors of intrapersonal-level place preferences , 2010 .

[46]  H. Staats,et al.  The need for psychological restoration as a determinant of environmental preferences , 2006 .

[47]  V. Benassi,et al.  The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of emotional connection to nature? , 2009 .

[48]  Ulrika K. Stigsdotter,et al.  The relation between perceived sensory dimensions of urban green space and stress restoration , 2010 .

[49]  R. Gifford,et al.  Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework , 2010 .

[50]  J. Corraliza,et al.  Environmental aesthetics and psychological wellbeing: Relationships between preference judgements for urban landscapes and other relevant affective responses , 2000 .

[51]  P. Grahn,et al.  Attachment to Certain Natural Environments: A Basis for Choice of Recreational Settings, Activities and Restoration from Stress? , 2011 .

[52]  J. Jonides,et al.  The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature , 2008, Psychological science.

[53]  T. R. Herzog,et al.  Reflection and attentional recovery as distinctive benefits of restorative environments , 1997 .

[54]  F. Siero,et al.  Development of the PRCQ: A measure of perceived restorative characteristics of zoo attractions , 2009 .

[55]  P. Grahn,et al.  Stressed individuals’ preferences for activities and environmental characteristics in green spaces , 2011 .