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Psychology in Practice is the definitive six-part series on the practical applications of psychology to areas of everyday life, overcoming crime, education, health, sport organizations and the environment. Each book in the series examines one unit of the Applications of Psychology section of the OCR Syllabus. The social, political and human issues of how e live and interact are integral to the development of modern society. As the world population increases, questions of urban planning, renewal and housing design have become vitally important. IPsychology in Practice: Environment offers a unique insight into a range of social and environmental issues including the psychology of collective behavior, crowding and personal space, architecture, climate and environmental cognition.
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PSYCHOLOGY
in Practice
Environment Karon Oliver
Series Editor: Hugh Coolican
Hodder Arnold A MEMBER OF THE HODDER HEADLINE GROUP
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author and publisher would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce photographs: Figure 2.2 Pascale Goetgheluck/Science Photo Library; Figure 3.2 Stephanie Maze/Corbis; Figure 4.2 Peter Turnley/Corbis; Figure 4.3 Neil Tingle/Action Plus; Figure 5.1 Sean Dempsey/PA Photos; Figure 5.2 Carmen Taylor/AP Photo; Figure 7.2 Bill Varie/Corbis.
Orders: please contact Bookpoint Ltd, 130 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4SB. Telephone: (44) 01235 827720. Fax: (44) 01235 400454. Lines are open from 9.00 – 6.00. You can also order through our website: www.hoddereducation.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library ISBN-10: 0 340 84495 7 ISBN-13: 978 0 340 84495 3 First Published 2002 Impression number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Year 2007 2006 2005 Copyright © 2002 Karon Oliver All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Typeset by Dorchester Typesetting Group Limited, Dorset, England Printed in India for Hodder Education, a division of Hodder Headline Plc, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.
CONTENTS Introduction 1 Environmental stress – noise 2 Climate and weather 3 Density and crowding 4 Crowds and collective behaviour 5 Environmental disaster and technological catastrophe 6 Personal space and territory 7 Architecture and behaviour 8 Environmental cognition References Index
1 13 39 65 89 111 137 165 191 217 239
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Introduction Have you ever thought about how the environment affects the way you feel and behave? I am sure that you have noticed that some situations make you feel very uncomfortable, for example being stuck in unexpected traffic jams on hot and airless days when you are in a hurry. On the other hand, some situations may make you feel relaxed and peaceful and give you a sense of well-being, such as lying on a comfortable sunbed on a tropical beach, sipping pina coladas and listening to the surf lapping onto the sand. You may also have noticed that the way you respond to a certain situation is very different from the way another person may respond. Some people enjoy the buzz of busy inner-city life, whilst others long for the peace and solitude found only up the side of a mountain. Your idea of heaven might be a hot, crowded nightclub with loud music and flashing lights; on the other hand, it might be walking on the Brecon Beacons with a couple of frien