The updated edition of the essential guide to environmental psychology Thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition, Environmental Psychology: An Introduction offers an overview of the interplay between humans and their environments. The text examines the influence of the environment on human experiences, behaviour and well-being and explores the factors influencing environmental behaviour, and ways to encourage pro-environmental behaviour. The revised edition is a state-of-the art review of relevant theories and research on each of these topics. With contributions from an international panel of noted experts, the text addresses a wealth of topics including the main research methods in environmental psychology; effects of environmental stress; emotional impacts and meanings of natural environment experience; aesthetic appraisals of architecture; how to measure environmental behaviour; cognitive, emotional and social factors explaining environmental behaviour; effects and acceptability of strategies to promote pro-environmental factors; and much more. This important book: Discusses the environmental factors that threaten and promote human wellbeing Explores a wide range of factors influencing actions that affect environmental conditions Discusses the effects and acceptability of approaches that aim to encourage pro-environmental behavior Presents research results conducted in different regions in the world Contains contributions from noted experts Written for scholars and practitioners in the field, the revised edition of Environmental Psychology offers a comprehensive review of the most recent research available in environmental psychology. Reviews “This book is an interesting change from the usual run ofintroductions to environmental psychology. It dealsinteresting and thoroughly with a wide range of issues, andgenerally the many authors present their views and accounts ofresearch in a clear and easy-to-follow manner.” (Psychology Learning & Teaching, 1 November 2013) About the Author Linda Steg is professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Judith I. M. de Groot is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Consumer Behaviour at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Table of Contents List of Figures xix List of Tables xxi List of Boxes xxii List of Contributors xxiv 1 Environmental Psychology: History, Scope, and Methods 1 Linda Steg, Agnes E. van den Berg, and Judith I. M. de Groot 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 History of the Field 2 1.2.1 Towards ‘Architectural’ Psychology 3 1.2.2 Towards a Green Psychology 4 1.3 Current Scope and Characteristics of the Field 4 1.3.1 Interactive Approach 4 1.3.2 Interdisciplinary Collaboration 5 1.3.3 Problem? Focused Approach 5 1.3.4 Diversity of Methods 6 1.4 Main Research Methods in Environmental Psychology 6 1.4.1 Questionnaire Studies 7 1.4.2 Laboratory Experiments 8 1.4.3 Computer Simulation Studies 8 1.4.4 Field Studies 9 1.4.5 Case Studies 9 1.5 Overview of the Book 10 Glossary 10 Suggestions for Further Reading 11 Review Questions 11 PART I ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND WELL-BEING 13 2 Environmental Risk Perception 15 Gisela Boehm and Carmen Tanner 2.1 Introduction 16 2.2 What are Environmental Risks? 16 2.3 Subjective Risk Judgements 17 2.3.1 Heuristics and Biases in Risk Judgements 17 2.3.2 Temporal Discounting of Environmental Risks 19 2.3.3 The Psychometric Paradigm 19 2.4 Risk, Values, and Morality 19 2.4.1 Values 20 2.4.2 Morality and Ethics 21 2.5 Emotional Reactions to Environmental Risks 22 2.6 Summary 23 Glossary 23 Suggestions for Further Reading 24 Review Questions 25 3 Climate Change as a Unique Environmental Problem 26 Janet K. Swim and Lorraine Whitmarsh 3.1 Introduction 27 3.2 Public Understanding of Climate Change 27 3.3 Assessing the Risk of Climate Change 28 3.3.1 Detecting a Problem 30 3.3.2 Interpretations of Problems 31 3.3.3 Accepting Responsibility and Taking Action 32 3.4 Summary 33 Glossary 33 Suggestions for Further Reading 34 Review Questions 35 4 Environmental Stress 36 Elena Bilotta, Uchita Vaid, and Gary W. Evans 4.1 Introduction 37 4.2 Conceptualizations of Stress 37 4.3 Effects of Environmental Stress 38 4.3.1 Noise 38 4.3.2 Crowding 40 4.3.3 Poor Housing Quality 41 4.3.4 Poor Neighbourhood Quality 42 4.3.5 Traffic Congestion 42 4.4 Summary 43 Glossary 43 Acknowledgements 44 Suggestions for Further Reading 44 Review Questions 44 5 Scenic Beauty: Visual Landscape Assessment and Human Landscape Perception 45 Mari S. Tveit, Asa Ode Sang, and Caroline M. Hagerhall 5.1 Introduction 46 5.2 Visual Quality Assessment 46 5.3 Theories Explaining Landscape Preferences as Innate or Learnt 47 5.4 Measuring and Mapping Scenic Beauty 50 5.5 Methodological Developments 51 5.6 Summary 52 Glossary 52 Suggestions for Further Reading 53 Review Questions 54 6 Health Benefits of Nature 55 Agnes E. van den Berg,Yannick Joye, and Sjerp de Vries 6.1 Introduction 56 6.2