Journal of Environmental Psychology最新文献

This study explores the effect of nudging within a recycling system that views households as rational actors swayed by economic incentives to foster pro-environmental behaviour. In a field experiment involving over 10,000 Latvian households, we invited them to sign up for recyclables containers by emphasizing either the economic gains or losses associated with such a move. Alternatively, households were primed with social norms or received a message that altered the choice architecture by explicitly asking for feedback. Our findings complement the development of behavioural theories by demonstrating how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations interact with systemic factors. While all interventions increased container uptake relative to the no-message condition, the majority of households remained non-responsive. This indifference underscores the limitations of subsidized waste recycling systems, illustrating how minor alterations in contextual elements and choice architecture may not suffice to instigate meaningful behavioural shifts within such structured frameworks. The results emphasize that significant pro-environmental behaviour requires more than just nudging or financial incentives; nudges are crucial in highlighting systemic shortcomings and pointing towards more effective engagement strategies.

Prior work regarding nature's benefits to different working memory capacity processes is mixed within the existing literature. These mixed results may be due to an emphasis on tasks rather than focusing on construct validity and the underlying mental processes they are intended to measure. When considering underlying process, all might be sensitive to the benefits of nature or perhaps only specific processes of working memory capacity will receive these benefits. Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan, 1995) would specifically predict that attentional control is the most likely process to benefit from interacting with nature. To address this possibility, three studies investigated whether working memory capacity and its component processes of attentional control, primary memory, and secondary memory benefit from viewing nature images. Montana State University students completed two tasks with a nature or urban image viewed before a block of trials that measured either working memory capacity (Experiment 1), attentional control (Experiment 2), or primary/secondary memory (Experiment 3). Results revealed higher performance after viewing nature images compared to urban images for attentional control but not for working memory capacity or either of its underlying memory components. These results are discussed with respect to the importance of current psychometric standards of measuring behavior when investigating the potential influence of nature on cognition.

Global environmental crises require concerted action around the globe. Previous research has suggested that salient global identity (i.e. identification with and concern for people all over the world) might motivate such action, as it is positively related to pro-environmental behaviour. However, little is known about how to strengthen global identity. Inferred from astronauts' experiences when seeing our planet from space (i.e. the overview effect), we hypothesised that a virtual reality (VR) space tour elicits awe (i.e. an experience of extraordinary vastness associated with feeling moved, amazed and overwhelmed), makes global identity more salient and motivates pro-environmental behaviour. We compared the effect of the VR simulation to that of music, a stimulus unrelated to nature. In a preregistered laboratory experiment, participants of a convenience sample in Germany (N = 128) were randomly assigned to four groups, using a 2 (VR: yes vs. no) × 2 (music: yes vs. no) design, and answered a self-report questionnaire. We found that both the VR space tour and music elicited awe, but that the effects of VR were stronger. We found neither significant main nor interaction effects of VR and music on global identity. However, both the VR simulation and music indirectly predicted stronger global self-investment (i.e. one dimension of global identity reflecting solidarity and concern for people world-wide) through a stronger awe experience. Neither the VR simulation nor music impacted people's pro-environmental behaviour in terms of their willingness to sign a petition asking the government to prioritise the Paris climate agreement. However, they both indirectly predicted willingness to sign the petition through a stronger awe experience. We discuss the role of awe for global identity and pro-environmental behaviour, and elaborate on the idea that a greater portion of global identity may be a stable trait rather than a variable state. We also discuss how useful VR simulations are for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour.

GPS use pervades society; however, its effects on an individuals' navigation ability are not well understood. We reviewed and meta-analyzed the available evidence on the associations between GPS use and navigation ability, in terms of environmental knowledge, sense of direction and wayfinding. Based on the PRISMA guidelines and preregistration in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022378106), we searched the Web of Science, PsycInfo, and Scopus databases. Out of 907 articles, 23 studies met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for our review. We assessed the risk of bias using Joanna Briggs’ tools. The narrative synthesis presented negative associations between GPS use and performance in environmental knowledge and self-reported sense of direction measures and a positive association with wayfinding. When considering quantitative data, results revealed a negative effect of GPS use on environmental knowledge (r = −.18 [95% CI: −.28, −.08]) and sense of direction (r = −.25 [95% CI: −.39, −.12]) and a positive yet not significant effect on wayfinding (r = .07 [95% CI: −.28, .41]). Current literature has several strengths but also methodological weaknesses that limit the quality of evidence, with 69% of the studies classified with a moderate to high risk of bias. Although evidence suggests that using GPS tools can have a negative impact on environmental knowledge and sense of direction but a limited effect on wayfinding, future studies should adopt standardized measurements and procedures to further confirm these results and delve more deeply into understanding how GPS could be used as an external aid to support navigation.

Play is fundamental to children's physical growth, social development, and mental and emotional well-being; and how we plan, and design high-rise housing estates impacts children's ability to access and use spaces for play, thus impacting their overall growth and development. By using Lefebvre's Spatial Triad (1974/1991) as an analytical framework, this paper investigates (1) ‘Conceptualized Space’ or ‘play areas and materiality of the play areas as conceptualized by design professionals’; (2) ‘Actual Space’ or ‘spaces where children actually play’; and (3) ‘Experienced Space’ or ‘caregivers’ assessment of play spaces and their preferences of play materials, elements and surfaces for young children in high-rise housing estates. Comparative case-study research of seven housing estates from a baseline study of 63 high-rise housing estates was adopted to realize contrasts, patterns, or similarities across the cases. Methods included (1) semi-structured open-ended interviews with design professionals including developers (n = 4), architects (n = 4), landscape architects (n = 2) and play equipment manufacturer (n = 1); (2) In-depth field studies; and (3) semi-structured open-ended interviews with parents (n = 27), grandparents (n = 5) and nannies (n = 4) of young children. This study generates new knowledge about design and planning considerations for designated play spaces, caregivers' and designers ideas around nature based play, caregivers' preferences of play elements, materials and surfaces, and details spatial factors influencing young children's play areas in housing estates. As a way forward, the paper offers 11 guidelines to influence the design and planning of play spaces and open areas in future housing estates to fulfil young children's play needs.

The current study aimed to explore the potential occurrence of the third-quarter phenomenon among analog space mission participants. While the phenomenon is quite often referenced in the literature, many findings are anecdotal or have methodological limitations. To address them, we conducted our study in a standardized environment of the LunAres Research Station in Piła, Poland. We collected data from 88 analog astronauts participating in sixteen two-week missions. We examined the third-quarter phenomenon, focusing on positive and negative emotions, overall emotional positivity, and task performance. We observed a distinct decrease in emotional positivity on the sixth day of the mission, with the lowest intensity of positive emotions and the highest intensity of negative emotions. Though fluctuating, task performance improved throughout the missions, with no third-quarter phenomenon pattern. We concluded that our study does not support the third-quarter phenomenon and suggests that negative emotions and outcomes might occur during different mission periods. Hence, the possibility of such variations in the analog astronauts’ emotions and activities should be considered when training future astronauts in the analog space missions.

The biodiversity crisis is threatening the survival of many species on our planet. This is exacerbated by the taxonomic bias, with species taxonomically closer to humans receiving most funding and attention. The current research explores species engagement – our sense of connection to and concern for other species – through a social similarity approach. We distinguish between two factors influencing perceptions, attitudes and behavior regarding other animals: bottom-up visual cues (physical similarity) and top-down beliefs about animals’ capacities (mental similarity). Combining a correlational (Studies 1: N = 33 and 2: N = 564) and an experimental approach (Study 3: N = 330), we investigated the relative importance of these two factors for species engagement – operationalized as self-other overlap, moral concern, and conservation support. Study 1 and 2 reveal that mental similarity has up to five times the impact of physical similarity on perceived overlap, moral concern, and conservation support. Study 3 broadly replicates these findings, with both mental and physical similarity affecting perceived overlap and moral concern. However, only physical similarity was found to affect conservation support. Potential explanations are discussed. Findings demonstrate the usefulness of a social similarity approach to conservation psychology and offer a novel perspective for communications around nature conservation.

We performed a behavioral experiment to replicate published findings showing that exposure to natural scenes, i.e., viewing pictures of natural versus urban scenes, is associated with the choice of a “reward drink” containing less sugar (i.e., a healthier dietary choice). In total, 140 participants were randomly assigned to one of two study conditions (viewing natural or urban scenes). Participants completed a task measuring temporal discounting. Two measures related to weight control were used: the amount of ice cream consumed in a taste test (actual food consumption) and the amount of sugar chosen for the reward drink. Compared to the urban group, the natural scene group chose reward drinks with less sugar and ate less ice cream in the taste test. The discounting rate fully mediated the impact of exposure to natural versus urban scenes on the two measures. The association between experimental exposure to natural scenes and weight control behaviors was not contingent on the intention to lose weight or participant sex. This replication experiment suggests that exposure to natural scenes helps individuals to control sugar intake and food consumption.

The success of fee programs on public lands hinges on visitors' perceptions and reactions towards recreational fees, emphasizing the importance of understanding visitor dynamics in park management decisions. Using Indiana Dunes National Park in the U.S. as the study context, this study investigates the role of trust and place attachment in shaping visitors' support for national park entrance fees. Informed by social judgment theory, we hypothesize that place identity (socio-emotional attachment) will strengthen the relationship between trust and fee support, while place dependence (functional attachment) will weaken it. Our sample included 900 park visitors. The findings showed that as visitors’ place dependence increased, trust in the park agency became less critical in fee support. However, place identity did not significantly impact the trust-fee support relationship. These results underscore the importance of building trust and fostering place dependence among visitors to increase support for fee-related decisions by park managers. This study extends the environmental psychology literature and the recreation fee literature by furthering our understanding of the interplay among trust, place attachment, and fee support in the context of protected area management, providing insights for policymakers and park managers grappling with the contentious discourse surrounding park fees.

Default options can be effective behavioural nudges in various contexts. Re-designing restaurant menus with vegetarian options as the default can be a promising route to reduce meat consumption. However, it is not yet clear whether the default also works when customers do not know what specific menu items they receive, as is the case in surprise menus. Furthermore, we question whether the effectiveness of a vegetarian default on an individual's choice for a vegetarian dish can be further strengthened when the default mechanism is deployed together with other strong intervention mechanisms: price incentives and imposed effort.

In a real-life field experiment, we tested the effectiveness of the default for a Chef's Menu where consumers only know that the dish is vegetarian or that it contains meat or fish. Moreover, we tested the effect of the default together with either a supplemental price needed to be paid for the meat option, or an increase in the effort to switch to the alternative meat options (making them less easy to order compared to the vegetarian option). Analyses of the sales data show that significantly more vegetarian options were ordered in the weeks that the vegetarian dish was the default. However, neither the price incentive nor the increased effort seemed to strengthen the original default effects. The current study shows the strength of a default intervention, also in the case of a surprise menu, and provides insights for practitioners to maximize the effectiveness of a default.