This book contains a selection of nine detailed and varied research papers in the area of environment-behaviour studies. The papers are based on presentations at the 4th UK Environmental Psychology ...(EPUK4) conference that was held in Glasgow, Scotland in September 2005.The conference theme centred on a recurring debate in Environmental Psychology and one which had recently been 'reopened' by Prof. Christopher Spencer (University of Sheffield), namely: "how can we ensure that the findings from high quality environment-behaviour research are put into practice in 'real-world' applications"? This book outlines current views on the debate along with suggestions on how we might more effectively address this 'research-practice' relationship.EPUK is an informal organisation that brings together environmental psychologists and other professionals working in the area of environment-behaviour research. EPUK4 was jointly organised by Dr. Edward Edgerton (University of Paisley) and Dr. Ombretta Romice (University of Strathclyde), and was attended by around sixty international experts in the field.
The excessive production and consumption of plastic has serious consequences on the environment and human health. The reduction of plastic has therefore become a major global challenge. As technical ...solutions might be insufficient to curb the problem, a perspective highlighting the impact of human behavior is needed. The current literature review provides an overview of the existing social-scientific literature on plastic, ranging from risk awareness, consumers' preferences, and predictors of usage behavior to political and psychological intervention strategies. By reviewing the literature, we aim to identify potential factors for future interventions to reduce plastic consumption. The 187 studies reviewed show that people much appreciate and routinely use plastic, despite a pronounced awareness of the associated problems. Habits, norms, and situational factors seem to be especially predictive for plastic consumption behavior. Both political and psychological interventions are potentially effective, although long-term effects are often uncertain. The review closes with implications for behavior-based solutions and future research, which should combine interdisciplinary approaches and take into account cultural differences.
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•Plastic pollution is a major global challenge.•First comprehensive review on social-scientific literature related to plastic•Gap between high problem awareness and plastic-related behavior•Habits and social factors influence plastic-related behavior most.•Political and psychological interventions are successful but understudied.
Abstract The current environmental deterioration of ecosystems is unquestionable, even though for some time now work has been done to change the dominant social paradigm that places Nature as a tool ...at the service of human beings. Environmental psychology proposes that environmental problems are strongly related to human behavior, thus, its studies are oriented to measure behavioral variables. To propose a version of the Ecological Behavior Scale (EBS) for use in Mexican populations, the psychometric properties of the instrument were explored, obtaining as a result an EBS scale of 28 items and three factors, with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of .79.
Resumen Es incuestionable el actual deterioro ambiental de los ecosistemas, a pesar de que desde hace tiempo se ha trabajado en cambiar el paradigma social dominante que coloca a la naturaleza como una herramienta al servicio del ser humano. Desde la Psicología Ambiental se propone que los problemas ambientales están fuertemente relacionados con el comportamiento humano, con esto, sus estudios se han orientado a medir las variables comportamentales. Con el objetivo de proponer una versión de la Escala de Comportamiento Ecológico (ECE) para su uso en poblaciones mexicanas, se han explorado las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento, obteniendo como resultado una escala ECE de 28 ítems y tres factores, con un Alfa de Cronbach global (α = 0,79).
Environmental psychology research has demonstrated that exposure to mundane natural environments can be psychologically beneficial, and can, for instance, improve individuals' mood and concentration. ...However, little research has yet examined the psychological benefits of extraordinary, awe-evoking kinds of nature, such as spectacular mountain scenes or impressive waterfalls. In this study, we aimed to address the underrepresentation of such extraordinary nature in research on human-nature interactions. Specifically, we examined whether watching a picture slideshow of awesome as opposed to mundane nature differentially affected individuals' emotions, mood, social value orientation (SVO), and their willingness to donate something to others. Our analyses revealed that, compared to mundane nature and a neutral condition, watching awesome natural scenes and phenomena had some unique and pronounced emotional effects (e.g., feeling small and humble), triggered the most mood improvement, and led to a more prosocial SVO. We found that participants' willingness to donate did not differ significantly for any of the conditions.
Background
The emergence of the COVID-19 and its consequences has led to fears, worries, and anxiety among individuals worldwide. The present study developed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to ...complement the clinical efforts in preventing the spread and treating of COVID-19 cases.
Methods
The sample comprised 717 Iranian participants. The items of the FCV-19S were constructed based on extensive review of existing scales on fears, expert evaluations, and participant interviews. Several psychometric tests were conducted to ascertain its reliability and validity properties.
Results
After panel review and corrected item-total correlation testing, seven items with acceptable corrected item-total correlation (0.47 to 0.56) were retained and further confirmed by significant and strong factor loadings (0.66 to 0.74). Also, other properties evaluated using both classical test theory and Rasch model were satisfactory on the seven-item scale. More specifically, reliability values such as internal consistency (
α
= .82) and test–retest reliability (ICC = .72) were acceptable. Concurrent validity was supported by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (with depression,
r
= 0.425 and anxiety,
r
= 0.511) and the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (with perceived infectability,
r
= 0.483 and germ aversion, r = 0.459).
Conclusion
The Fear of COVID-19 Scale, a seven-item scale, has robust psychometric properties. It is reliable and valid in assessing fear of COVID-19 among the general population and will also be useful in allaying COVID-19 fears among individuals.
In recent decades, there has been an increasing volume of research aimed out quantifying the extent to which the natural environment can assist in restoring mental, emotional, and physical ...well-being. It is commonly assumed that natural environments are more restorative than urban environments. However, studies addressing this issue use a variety of methods for data collection making it difficult to compare the findings of different studies. The research reported here uses a meta-analysis aimed at estimating how much natural environments are perceived as being more restorative than urban environments. We investigated the role of moderator variables such as research design, kind of natural environment, participants, measurement instruments used or the context in which the data were collected. PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Scopus, SpringerLINK, Web of Science online databases were used to identity all peer-review articles on restorativeness published to date (k = 167). Reference sections of obtained papers were examined for additional studies. Only 22 studies met inclusion criteria (direct exposure to environment, comparison between one outdoor environment with natural element and one without natural element, and restorativeness measured by self-report scale) and were included in meta-analysis. Results show that natural environments are perceived to be more restorative than urban environments (Cohen’s d (confidence interval) = 1.99 (1.38–2.61)). Significant heterogeneity between the study was found (Q(19) = 503.16, p < .001) and variability within studies was very high (I2 = 97%). However, subsequent univariate moderator analyses were not significant. Other methodological differences (e.g., lighting conditions) could explain this variability. We concluded that the variability in studies is more likely to be due to individual differences (e.g., age, connections to nature, and environmental attitude) than the methodological differences.
Given the incredible ability to interact with consumers, branded apps have become a new important brand relationship building platform for marketers. However, despite the remarkable growth of app ...users, many brands are still struggling to attract continuous usage among user. Past research emphasized on the functional perspective of branded apps usage, yet emotional factors have received less attention. Therefore, to address the research gap, present research draws from the conceptual lens of pleasure-arousal-dominance (PAD) model from environmental psychology to examine the emotional factors of branded apps. The objective of this research is to investigate the drivers of branded app atmospherics in brand relationships. We recruited 408 users by an online survey. Results identify atmospherics cues that influence the experiential emotions of pleasure, arousal and dominance, which generates usage intention. This research contributes knowledge by extending PAD model to branded app context and provide an important ground where practitioners can design atmospherics cues that create emotional experience in branded app to foster brand relationship.
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The world is currently experiencing a pandemic of an infectious disease called COVID-19 which has drawn global intensive attention. While global attention is largely focusing on the effects of the ...coronavirus on physical health, the impacts of the coronavirus on psychological health cannot be overlooked. Therefore, this study aims to adapt the Fear of COVID-19 Scale into Turkish and investigate the relationships between fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Data were collected by convenience sampling method, which allowed us to reach total 1304 participants, aged between 18 and 64 years, from 75 cities in Turkey. In the adaptation process of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, confirmatory factor analysis, Item Response Theory, convergent validity, and reliability (Cronbach’s α, McDonald’s ω, Guttmann’s λ6, and composite reliability) analyses were performed. Additionally, the mediating role of psychological distress on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and life satisfaction was tested. The uni-dimensionality of the 7-item scale was confirmed on a Turkish sample. Item Response Theory revealed that all items were coherent and fit with the model. The results indicated that the Turkish version of the scale had satisfactory reliability coefficients. The fear of COVID-19 was found to be associated with psychological distress and life satisfaction. Results indicated that the Turkish version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale had strong psychometric properties. This scale will allow mental health professionals to do research on the psychological impacts of COVID-19 in Turkey.
This article addresses the public acceptance of certain renewable energies (grid-connected larger PV ground-installed systems, biomass plants and wind turbines) from a socio-scientific perspective. ...Using an environmental–psychological approach to investigate the social factors relevant to the formation of public acceptance towards renewable energies in four different regions, recommendations for the further implementation of renewable energy systems were to be derived. The present study has been conducted in a multi-modal research design combining a standardised questionnaire and qualitative interviews and focused on the residents’ views and perceptions. Especially within the quantitative analyses, the results indicate that economic consideration of the respective renewable energy system, understood as a positive cost–benefit calculation made by the individual, is the strongest predictor for a reported acceptance. Furthermore, the importance of landscape evaluation and a strong connection between procedural justice criteria, such as transparency, early and accurate information as well as possibilities to participate during the planning and installation process, and a reported public acceptance became evident. Qualitative data were analysed in reference to the grounded theory and showed the relevance of the operating company's commitment on the local level, participation of the general public and the choice of the location for the plant were among the relevant aspects for acceptance in the implementation process.
This survey is part of a 3-year project funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
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