Lecture Notes: Ch. 4 Theories in Environmental Psychology pt.

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Explanation in Environmental Psych Theories come from a combination of general experimental psychology and social psychology A number of "limited domain" or small scale theories are integrated into a general eclectic framework No single theory applies to all topics in environmental psychology New theories evolve, & each of the current theories is probably an accurate, but partial, explanation of human behavior in psychical contexts Focus: effects of environmental conditions on behavior Stimulation Theories Physical environment is a source of sensory info that is crucial to our welfare How stimulation from the environment affects us Stimulation: light, color, sound, noise, heat, cold, complex stimuli (building, streets, outdoor settings, other people) Stimuli vary in amount & meaning Intensity, duration, frequency, number of sources, the meaning, how we interpret the stimuli Many theories re: stimulation and environ-beh relationships Stimulation theories: Arousal theories Arousal: a continuum of physiological or psychological activation that ranges from sleep to excitement Different levels of activation in the brain and physical changes Environmental stimuli influence level of arousal Level of arousal can influence thought & behavior Yerkes-Dodson law of performance: -Performance is maximal at intermediate levels of arousal -Varies with task complexity High arousal affects complex tasks sooner than a simple task Don't want too high or too low arousal, want optimal level Arousal theory evaluated: Supported by evidence studying influence of environ. on performance & aggression, environmental factors of noise, heat & crowding Arousal difficult to measure well, data can be inconsistent Get a lot of individual variation Stimulation theories: Environmental Load Concerned with effects Overstimulation Based on attention & information processing Useful for describing reactions to novel or unwanted environmental stimuli Humans have limited capacity to process info When amount of info exceeds capacity, overload occurs -Some information is ignored -Negative impact on task performance Additional loads can interfere with what you are trying to focus on

Amount of attention available is not constant & can be depleted after prolonged demands, leading to overload Has an after effect Attentional fatigue & restorative environments Behavioral aftereffects of overload: decline in task performance, decrease in tolerance for frustration, errors in mental functioning, negative impact for social behavior (e.g., altruistic beh decreases) Less likely to help people out if you have overloaded your system Cost of recovering from overload (Cohen & Spacapan, 1978-text) Takes time to recover after the overload Understimulation Restricted environmental stimulation or Sensory deprivation Environmental-behavior problems may result from too little stimulation Stimulation is what is coming into your system Arousal is what happens to your body, physical changes Monotonous environments can lead to boredom and may contribute to juvenile delinquency, vandalism, and poor education Sensory deprivation research (conflicting results): -Severe anxiety OR -Decreased anxiety, hostility, & depression, and increased creativity (relaxation exercise) Optimal stimulation Adaptation level theory Individuals adapt to certain levels of stimulation in certain contexts No particular amount of stimulation is good for everyone Different for everyone, individual differences Different for the same person in different context Environment, where they live Stimulation that is different from an individual's adaptation level will change feelings & behavior Applied to sensory stimulation, social stimulation, movement Looking for optimal level in all three categories Optimal levels vary on three dimensions -Intensity: low vs. high -Diversity: how many different types of information -Patterning (structure vs. uncertainty) A person's optimal level is based on prior experience Adaptation: a shift in optimal level' shift in response to a stimulus following continual exposure Us changing our reaction to the stimulation-over time we adapt Adjustment: technological change to the stimulus Optimal stimulation: Evaluation Includes features of arousal, overload & understimulation perspectives Broad generalizability Amount of individual variation makes general predictions difficult Optimal level hard to define Everyone is going to be different, individual differences