Place Matters!
Invited Address by Sally Augustin, PhD, Principal, Design With Science; President-Elect, Division 34
Saturday, August 4, 1-1:50 PM
Convention Center Room W308D, Level III
Members of all APA divisions are invited to attend Place Matters! because these walls can talk, all the world's a stage, we're always somewhere, and design does make a difference.
Environmental psychologists have focused for decades on how the form of the physical environment and the objects in it influence attitudes and behaviors. Unfortunately, most of what they have learned through research and practice has been sequestered in specialized journals and even other psychologists haven't been familiar with study findings.
This session will begin a dialogue between environmental psychologists and others in the psychological community who can apply lessons learned by environmental psychologists or enrich the environmental psychology knowledge base.
The address will begin with an overview of lessons learned by environmental psychologists and then move on to opportunities for interdisciplinary research and applied projects. The range of topics reviewed in the introductory discussion will demonstrate the breadth and richness of current knowledge, for example:
- What are the emotional effects of surface colors? Colors of light? How does where a person grew up influence their responses?
- How do shapes (seen or felt) mold experiences?
- How are personality and preferred design styles really related?
- How do people use environments and possessions to communicate nonverbally? Why does that matter?
- How do sounds affect mental state? What sorts of noises delight people? Frustrate them? Help them concentrate?
- How do room dimensions influence humans psychologically?
- Why does smell matter? How can scents be used to help people learn (and remember) technical material? Exercise more vigorously and consistently? Be creative? Feel healthier?
- How do textures influence us emotionally? Is it important whether we see them or feel them?
- Which landscape scenes are most refreshing?
Attendance at this session will inform and enrich the research and practice of psychologists with a variety of professional focuses. For example, environmental psychology is relevant to clinicians, who can apply material discussed to (re-)design their offices and to evaluate how the form of their patients' homes and workplaces influence their life experiences. Health psychologists can also benefit from the discussion, since design elements can be linked to mood, motivation, and the functioning of the immune system. Psychologists focused on consumer, worker, and student behavior will learn how store, workplace, and school design influence shoppers, employees, and learners. People focused on creativity and the arts will become familiar with the psychological implications of particular aesthetic elements. . . . Come by to learn how considering environmental psychology can make a difference in your practice and research.
