Professor Emerita of Psychology; Samuel T. Dana Professor of Environment and Behavior, Professor Emerita of Natural Resources, School of Natural Resources and Environment
About
Some environments bring out the best in people; many do not. That constitutes a puzzle that takes many directions, including: (1) the importance of the natural environment; (2) ways to make environments both understandable and interesting; (3) approaches to meaningful participation in environmental decision-making; (4) exploration of ways to conceptualize and assess effectiveness and well-being.
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Central to the research program is a conceptual framework -- the Reasonable Person Model -- that views humans as information-based organisms who want to know, want to explore, and want to take action. Unfortunately, our information-rich world is also the source of much that undermines human effectiveness. Trying to understand the role the environment plays in helping people become more reasonable, effective, and psychologically healthy has taken the research in many directions.
Environmental preference: Many aspects of the natural environment are greatly preferred; "nature" in this context does not need to be remote and pristine. Strikingly consistent preference patterns have been found across many populations and places. What these have in common is that they support human needs. Thus rather than considering preference as an amenity it is a reflection of what fosters reasonable behavior.
Restorative opportunities: What is popularly called "being stressed out" may more accurately be a reflection of a worn out attentional capacity. Recovering from this all too common state is aided by settings which minimize demands on our attention. Such restorative experiences can be of very short duration, perhaps helping explain why having nature in the view from the window has such pervasive psychological impacts.
Expertise and engagement: Being involved, part of the action, needed by others; these all enhance people's sense of competence and meaningfulness. Yet they are often undermined by decision-making processes that, though well intended, assume what is best for others. Mechanisms that foster involvement and participation can do a great deal to bring out the best in people and, at the same time, lead to solutions that are environmentally reasonable as well.
Additional Research Interests: Environmental psychology; cognition and preference; psychology of sustainability; natural environments and mental well-being.
