Week Three’s Lecture delved into the scientific theory and evidence linking nature to health benefits. One issue that arose during lecture was whether the potential benefits ascribed to natural space exposure might be in part due to the placebo effect. Can you think of a way you might go about answering this question through a scientific study?
In seminar, we discussed the results of the group site analysis we carried out last week, delved into this week’s required reading, and carried out the mental mapping exercise that is one component of Assignment 1.
Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this field, the required reading – Chapter 9 from the textbook Environmental Psychology: An Introduction – expands upon the role of theory in creating healthy environments by focusing on applicable theories from the field of architecture and building design. If you’re interested in learning more about how early human history informs modern-day reactions, take a look at the article by Ohman and Mineka on the evolutionary development of our fear of snakes.
Once again, we’re asking for your own questions in response to this reading, and anything you submit may appear on next week’s reading quiz. Submitted questions can range from the simple (“Name one important difference between social design and biophilic design.”) to the more complex or applied (“As individuals who primarily focus on outdoor environments, what ways can urban foresters inform the use of biophilic design for built environments?”); additional questions related to the reading appear at the end of the chapter.
Many scientific theories have framed the health benefits that humans draw from nature through an evolutionary perspective. What are some of the main arguments for an evolutionary understanding of our enjoyment of nature (i.e. Biophilia, Prospect-Refuge, Neural Mechanisms Theory) and how do these differ from arguments that our love of nature is learned, rather than inherent (Learned Associations and Positive Beliefs Theory)? Which of these perspectives do you agree with when it comes to whether or not we all draw similar positive benefits from nature?
Potential read quiz questions from the Gifford and McCunn reading: 1) What is a key difference, highlighted by the authors, between the social-design and biophilic design approaches?
2) List 2/3 out of the 6 goals of the social design approach.
The first question you submitted was already included in this week’s blog post, but the second is an excellent model for the type of straightforward items that will be included in the reading quiz, along with some that require a bit more description.
Possible questions for the quiz:
Given the range of positive benefits associated with the Biophilic design approach, name two reasons for which this practice is not incorporated more widely into architectural design.
Describe one mental health benefit of urban green spaces and one physical health benefit of urban green spaces. In general, how might the mental and physical benefits of urban green spaces be interconnected?
Potential quiz questions for this week’s reading might be:
1) Name two factors that influence an environmental appraisal.
2) Why do architects and non-architects differ in their evaluations and perceptions of a setting?
Hi everyone!
Do we have an updated list of potential questions available? I also wanted to clarify which are the required readings for this quiz to ensure I am not missing any… Thanks in advance!
You can see which readings were required for each week by looking at the individual blog posts for Week Two, Week Three, and Week Four. I’ve also pasted a list of all of the readings that will be included on the quiz below.
Steg, L. et al. (2013). Environmental Psychology – An introduction (Chapter 9). Baltimore: Wiley-Blackwell.
Wolf, K. Outside our Doors: The Benefits of Cities Where People and Nature Thrive.
Wolf, K. Nature’s Riches: The Health and Financial Benefits of Nearby Nature.
WHO 2016. Urban Green Spaces and Health – A Review of Evidence (Chapters 1-2). World Health Organization, European Regional Office, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Depledge MH. Healthy people with nature in mind. BMC public health. 2014 Dec;15:1232-.
In addition, we highly recommend reviewing the list of potential questions that was generated through an in-seminar exercise and your comments on the blog.
Possible Question for the quiz:
What is backward masking? and how does it play a role in relations too our fear/phobia of snakes
Possible question for the reading quiz:
The World Health Organization states the 2 foremost contributors to premature deaths in the developed nations. What are they?
Hi! A possible question for this reading may be…
In terms of design style, how does the desirability of a building design contribute to the imagine of status? Why are tudor-buildings favoured over saltbox buildings?
Hi! An open question based on the reading:
If you are to design an apartment, which of the three design approaches would you choose? Name it and briefly explain why(apply its theory)?
I noticed that biophilia design is encourged in the reading and lecture of this week. But the problem is that if there are two cases of biophilia design, how can we figure out which one accords better to the principle of biophilia design. For example, an indoor green wall vs. outdoor streetscape.