Education Category: General
Ages: 16+

Environmental Psychology elective at Leiden University (2020-2021)

Lecture 1: Setting the Scene

The focus of the course is on:

The relations between persons and environments
The social origin and meaning of (many) man-environment interactions
Opportunities for ‘change for the better’: increased well-being, improved environmental quality, by behavioral interventions

People in the environment:

In this topic we focus on theories, methods, and research designs that take the physical environment into account.
- What does the environment do to humans?
- What do humans do to the environment?

The social origin and meaning of man-environment interactions:

Home, school, neighbourhood, workplace... All describe physically defined environments with a clearly social character
Example: Green schoolyards result in better well-being for children than gray schoolyards

Opportunities for ‘change for the better’

Raising awareness, using solar panels etc...
Why and how do people act sustainably? How can we encourage them?

Career perspectives:

Researcher (basic or applied)
Consultant
Environmental policy maker
Environmental management

7 papers important for this topic

Wohlwill (1970): Phylosofical introductory paper about the role of environmental psychology (this lecuture)
Goldberg (1969): Observational study of specific urban phenomenon (topic of lecture 2)
Kaplan (1995): Theoretical paper about the restorative effects of nature (topic of lecture 3)
Gosling, Ko, Mannarelli, and Morris (2002): Systematic approach of using the environmental “design” to form a personality impression (topic of lecture 4)
Hardin (1968): Descriptive paper about the psychological fundaments of the sustainability issues (topic of lecture 5)
Van der Wal, Van Horen, and Grinstein (2018): Experimental design testing a strategy to enhance sustainable behavior (topic of lecture 6)
Kotler (2011): Research letter to steer marketeers towards a more sustainable vision and mission (topic of lecture 7)

Wohlwill: (1970). The emerging discipline of environmental psychology. American Psychologist, 25, 303-312.

Three forms of relationship between person and physical environment:

1.Environment guides and constrains behavior: barriers, compatibility, ‘fit’

2.Long term exposure to general conditions may exert generalized effects: e.g., urban life style as a function of crowding - people living in crowded places have less trust for others; working day rhythm as function of climate - people who live in warm environments work during the morning and evening rather than during the midday

3.Behavior is oriented toward environment. We can influence the environment (e.g.: plant trees or leave trash around)

The environment as a source of affect:

1.Affect evoked by stimulus characteristics (e.g., complexity, diversity, novelty, category)

2.Environment determines approach and avoidance reactions (moving, migrating, holiday destinations)

3.Adaptation (“man is at once a seeker and neutralizer of stimulation”.

Wohlwill does not mention these important aspects in the paper:

Individual differences in, e.g., sensation seeking, environmental concern, etc.
Attitude formation and attitude change regarding environmental problems
Problems that seem environmental but are primarily social, economic, educational (slums, ghetto’s)

Goldberg, T. (1969). The automobile. A social institution for adolescents. Environment and Behavior, 1, 152-185.

Premises

Designers like to think about the relation between physical form and social behavior
These insights are based on intuitions rather than on science
These insights are often wrong, because:
- Intuition hardly works
- The scientific approach is shallow (misses in depth understanding of social processes)

Problem description:

Adolescents have nowhere to go
They like cars
Therefore: They take the road for social gatherings
Their problem solving creates problems for others: blocking of roads, creating unsafety, noise annoyance

No follow-up was made to find a solution to this issue

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, 169-182.

Attention Restoration Theory

3 components:

Directed attention
- Directed attention requires capacity for inhibition of distraction (inhibitory mechanis
- When efforts to sustain directed attention are prolonged the inhibitory mechanism becomes exhausted
Consequences of attentional fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Easily irritated
- Inclined to make errors
- Unwilling to help others
Restoration
- Nature can help restore people's attention
- Being away from your daily life activities
- Finding something very interesting
- Match between what you like to do and the environment provides
- Feeling like there's enough time/accessibility to enjoy

When people are fatigued, they prefer urban environments less

Gosling, S. D. , Ko, S. J. Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. (2002). A room with a cue: Personality judgments based on offices and bedrooms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 379-398.

Can we deduce personality about a person from the interior of a room?

Utilise cues (Brunswik's lens model)

4 types of cues:

Self-directed identity claims (e.g.: souveniers from holidays)
Other directed identity claims (e.g.: certificates)
Interior behavioral residue (e.g.: piles of paper)
Exterior behavior residue (e.g.: umbrella)

Data collection on 3 sources:

Observing haracteristics of the room
Occupant's and peers of occupant ratings on their personality
Observer judgement: personality rating based on what they see in the room

Cue validity:cues that are good predictors for a certain trait

Conscientiousness: Organized, uncluttered, homogeneous collections of books and CD’s
Openness to experience: Distinctive, stylish, unconventional

Cue utilization: cues that the observer uses

When good cues are used, trait inferences will be more accurate

Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. Science, 162, 1243-1248.

Environmental problems are problems of overpopulation

Population growth should be 0 - a pair produces only 1 child on average
Overpopulation has no technical solution
The morality of an act is a function of the state of the system at the time it is performed
“Flowing water purifies itself every 10 miles”
Conscience actions is self-eliminating: if you decide not to have children for moral reasons, you might not be able to pass on this idea to the next generation
Mutual coercion that is mutually agreed upon
Freedom in a commons is a tragedy to all: common resources e.g. water, are limited
Environmental consequences can be long-term and uncertain

Social dilemma: private interest vs environmental interest

Behavior A is more advantageous for the individual than behavior B
When everybody makes the same choice: behavior B has better outcomes for all individuals collectively than behavior A

Example: driving fast

Pro:

Fun: “more in tune with experience driver”
Faster home

Con:

Costs: minimum 132 million euro
Pollution: CO2, NO2, particulate matter, noise
Risk of accidents: increase in number and seriousness

Defection enhanced by:

Importance of common good to actor
Perception of Abundance
Uncertainty
- Environmental (Is climate change real? How important is it? What are the influences of human behavior?)
- Social (What do other people do?)

Averting the tragedy of the commons by Van Vugt (2009):

Reducing environmental and social uncertainty
Improving and broadening one’s sense of community
Increasing acceptance of commons rules and institutions
Punishing overuse and rewarding responsible use

Van der Wal, A.J., Van Horen, F., Grinstein, A. (2018). Temporal myopia in sustainable behavior under uncertainty. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 35, 378-393.

Shows how the environment itself can influence sustainable behavior

Intervention technique being used based on evolutionary psychological theory to enhance sustainable behavior

Life history theory

People adopt a faster life strategy
People become more focused on immediate outcomes
Sustainable behavior is a slow life strategy
Sustainable behavior holds a strong future component

If you want to get people engaged, focus on the immediate consequences and don't phrase things in terms of the future

Kotler, P. (2011). Reinventing marketing to manage the environmental imperative. Journal of Marketing, 75, 132-135

1997: Marketing: "an act or practice of advertising and selling a product”

2008: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for consumers, clients, partners, and society at large”

Marketers view in the past was that wants are natural and infinite, and encouraging unlimited consumption is good. Also, nature's resources are infinate

Sustainable marketers' view:

Wants are culturally influenced and strongly shaped by marketing and other forces
The earth’s resources are finite and fragile
The earth’s carrying capacity for waste and pollution is very limited
Quality of life and personal happiness do not always increase with more consumption and want satisfaction

Consumers steer sustainable marketing:

Dimensions for choosing a product/brand

Functional (Marketing 1.0)
Emotional (Marketing 2.0)
Social responsibility (Marketing (3.0)

The four P's of sustainable marketing

Product:

Questioning the necessity of new products
Source of the materials and their carbon footprints
Packaging: biodegradable and disposable

Price:

Environmentally involved customers may be willing to pay more
Pricing will be affected by possible new regulations

Place:

More locally based production
Online selling to reduce the amount of consumer driving

Promotion:

Shift promotion from print to online
Communicate their commitment to sustainability
Product labeling: specify ingredients and their carbon footprints

Conclusion:

Marketers should recognize finite resources and high environmental costs
Marketers need to revise their policies on product development, pricing, distribution, and branding
Companies must balance more carefully their growth goals with the need to pursue sustainability

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Comments, Compliments & Kudos

Cool summary! Roos Heeringa contributed on 07-01-2021 13:05

Very nice summary, especially the relevant papers were very thoughtful of you to add! Everything was also very clear and informative because you put it in bullet points so well done!

Thank you! Ilona contributed on 18-01-2021 14:06

Thanks Roos, I am glad you liked it! I mainly just followed what the lecturer at Leiden University was telling us, but I also find her way of teaching very clear and the topic to be fascinating!