Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Attention Restorative Theory'

In the past Man coinhabited harmoniously with nature only to have the balance disturbed with the advent of the Industrial Revolution replacing the green habitat with urban concrete settlements Consequently, the characteristics of the contemporary city pose a set of serious threat to man’s physical and mental health. Crowdedness, lack of apt infrastructure, pollution, noise pollution and rise in temperature are all contributing factors to the Man’s demised health and detachment from previous amicable coexistence with nature. For the past 30 years, extensive research has been conducted studying the correlation between man and nature, and nature’s impact on man’s health. The theory of “Biophilia,” by Edward, O. Wilson, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s “Attention Restorative Theory,” and Roger Ulrich’s “Stress Reduction Theory,” have been innovating and contributing towards gaining more understanding of the importance of a green environment in man’s everyday life. As a corollary the above-mentioned theories gave rise to the following quantitative study conducted over a 4-month period, including 81 respondents, in Spring 2020, focusing on whether a natural green environment in Sweden had impacted the mental and physical health in Greek immigrants to Sweden. The findings suggest that comparing the respondents’ life in Greece and respectively in Sweden there was indeed an improvement in the mood and health of the sample groups taking into consideration: how healthy they are, how healthy they feel, how happy they feel in relation to work, time spent in Sweden, marital status and of course the parameters that focus on the part of the natural environment at home and in their neighbourhood in Sweden. There seem to have been a statistically significant improvement in their health compared to when they lived in Greece but there is insufficient evidence to support that some of the parameters examined are responsible for this. Happiness on the other hand seem to possess a statistical important role due to their marital status among others along with the green surrounding environment having an impact on their mental well-being but not their physical health. Therefore, a more sustainable green environment seems to have impacted the overall psychological and physical state of the respondents, but further extensive research is recommended to investigate in depths others factors i.e., psychosomatics, environmental psychology along with nature related theories and studies.

Master of Landscape Architecture
Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning
Timothy D. Keane
This thesis documents an exploratory design process that examines the efficacy of a framework for designing dementia gardens based on: theory, Stephen and Rachel Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (A.R.T.), (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989) and Roger Ulrich’s Theory of Supportive Gardens (Ulrich, 1999); John Zeisel’s (2007) process for designing dementia gardens; and design details, Claire Cooper Marcus’ Garden Audit Tool (2007) and Moore’s analysis of exemplary dementia gardens (2007). It documents the integration of theory that is not specific to dementia gardens (Kaplans’ A.R.T. and Ulrich’s Theory of Supportive Gardens) with process (Zeisel) and programming elements that are specific to dementia gardens (Cooper Marcus’ Garden Audit Tool Kit and Moore’s exemplary dementia gardens). The framework was developed during an illustrative courtyard design project for a retirement center whose clientele included patients with varying need levels. Throughout the illustrative design project, knowledge of the four A.R.T. characteristics (Being Away, Fascination; Compatibility and Extent) guided design decision-making in an effort to create an engaging environment, where improved health outcomes and restorative person-environment interactions could occur.

Master of Landscape Architecture
Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning
Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page
Restorative landscapes, healing gardens, and therapeutic gardens can improve mental and physical health. They relieve stress, slow us down and make us appreciate the present moment (Kaplan 1995). Research confirms these benefits: “A restorative environment provides measurable physical and/or psychological benefit to human health” (Krinke 2005, 107). Unfortunately, few restorative landscapes are designed for night time use, though stress and the need for healing occur at all hours of the day and night. To that end, the purpose of this research is to create a set of lighting design strategies that will enable designers to create restorative landscapes for nighttime use and demonstrate how they can be applied. A literature review synthesizing the information on healing garden types, outdoor lighting techniques, and their relationship to Attention Restoration Theory, identified four main components required for a space to be considered restorative. Two precedent studies allowed the author to explore the components of Attention Restoration Theory and healing garden types. The lighting principles that afford these four components and healing garden types that are best suited for an urban public space were layered in a final design to create a restorative urban space that is functional at night. The set of design strategies created with the support of this research was applied to Occidental Square, a public park in Seattle, Washington. The applied design strategies are represented and demonstrated through the site design. With these tools in hand, designers can create spaces for those in need of rejuvenation, restoration, and tranquility not only during the day, but also at night.

Flertalet studier har visat att grönområden främjar människors fysiska och psykiska hälsa. I takt med en ökad urbanisering och stadsutbyggnad ersätts naturliga miljöer med bebyggelse vilket påverkar befolkningen i urbana miljöer negativt, eftersom urbana grönområden genererar viktiga ekosystemtjänster. En urban livsstil kan dessutom medföra hälsorisker som psykisk ohälsa, hjärt-kärlsjukdomar och fysisk inaktivitet. Syftet med uppsatsen var att genom en kvalitativ ansats undersöka vilken betydelse urbana grönområden har haft för enskilda invånare i Helsingborg under covid-19-pandemin. Tio kvalitativa e-postintervjuer genomfördes och empirin analyserades med en induktiv ansats. Uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk bestod av Attention restoration theory samt Stress recovery theory och den insamlade empirin gav upphov till följande teman: lugn och ro, hämta energi, samt miljöombyte. Resultatet visar att urbana grönområden har betydelse för informanternas hälsa, eftersom urbana grönområden bidrar till återhämtning och stressminskning, vilket är betydande faktorer för en god fysisk och psykisk hälsa. Utifrån studiens resultat kan slutsatsen dras att genom att bevara urbana grönområden kanmänniskors livskvalitet öka eftersom urbana grönområden bidrar till bättre fysisk och psykisk hälsa i samhället.
Former studies have shown that urban green spaces improve physical and mental health.Urbanisation and urban development result in green environments being replaced by buildings. This has a negative effect on urban residents as urban green spaces provide important ecosystem services. An urban lifestyle can involve health risks such as mental illness, cardiovascular disease, and physical inactivity. This study aimed to investigate through a qualitative approach, the importance of urban green spaces for individual residents of Helsingborg during the covid-19 pandemic. Ten qualitative e-mail interviews were conducted, and the empirical findings were analyzed with an inductive approach. The collected empirics resulted in the following themes: peace and quiet, gain energy, and change of scenery. The results were analyzed through the theoretical framework Attention restoration theory and Stress recovery theory. The results showed that urban green spacesare essential for the informant’s health, as they contribute to recovery and stress reduction, which are significant factors for good physical and mental health. The main conclusion of this study shows that by preserving urban green spaces, people’s quality of life can increase as urban green spaces contribute to better physical and mental health in society.

I samband med förtätning av städer minskar andelen grönska per invånare, vilket ställer krav på att städer planerar för miljöer med grönska som främjar mental återhämtning och andra ekosystemtjänster. Med underlag av att Malmö stad är en av de städer i Sverige som har minst grönska per invånare, och att torg är potentiella offentliga rum för att öka grönska, innehåller följande studie en analys av Nobeltorget och Masttorget med inriktning på grönska och mental återhämtning. Syftet med studien har varit att analysera hur två torg som nyligen byggts eller byggts om är utformade utifrån målet att uppnå ökad grönska i staden.Studien består av två separata undersökningar, där resultatet har använts för analys av de mål som formulerats i Malmö stads Grönplan och Översiktsplan. Planeringsinstrumentet grönytefaktorn har använts som verktyg för att skapa kvalitativa värden genom att kvantitativt beräkna andelen grönska på torgen. En enkätstudie har utformats med Perceived Restoration Scale, för att undersöka upplevelsen av Nobeltorget och Masttorget genom en värdering utifrån fotografier av torgen. Resultatet av fältstudien visar att andelen grönska skiljer sig betydligt mellan torgen, där Nobeltorget har mer grönska i förhållande till den totala ytan, jämfört med Masttorget. Resultatet av enkätstudien visade på mindre skillnader i upplevelsen av torgen, där Nobeltorget värderas något högre enligt kategorierna fascination, att vara borta, sannolikhet för återhämtning och preferens.
In conjunction with urban densification, the proportion of greenery per inhabitant decreases, requiring cities to plan for environments with greenery promoting mental recovery and other ecosystem services. Based on the fact that Malmö is one of the cities in Sweden with the least greenery per inhabitant, and that squares are potential public spaces to increase greenery, the following study contains an analysis of Nobeltorget and Masttorget with focus on greenery and mental recovery. The purpose of the study has been to analyze how two squares, recently built or rebuilt, are designed based on the goal of achieving increased greenness in the city.The study consists of two separate studies, where the results have been used for analyzing the goals formulated in the Malmö City Green Plan (Grönplan) and General Plan (Översiktsplan). The planning tool Biotope Area Factor has been used as a tool for creating qualitative values ​​by quantitatively calculating the proportion of greenery on the squares. A survey has been designed with Perceived Restoration Scale, to investigate the experience of Nobeltorget and Masttorget by valuation based on photographs of the squares. The result of the field study shows that the proportion of greenery differs significantly between the squares, where Nobeltorget has more greenery in relation to the total area, compared to Masttorget. The results of the survey showed minor differences in the experience of the squares, where Nobeltorget was evaluated slightly higher according to fascination, being away, restoration likelihood and preference.

Tidigare forskning har visat att exponering för grön miljö tillhandahåller hälsofördelar. Dessa fördelar indikerar bland annat återhämtningseffekt av stress, trötthet och uppmärksamhetsutmattning, vilket är särskilt viktigt för universitetsstudenter. Därför syftade denna studie att undersöka om det finns en koppling mellan universitetsstudenters kontakt med grönstruktur i/nära studiemiljö och studenternas upplevelse av sin studiemiljö under covid-19 restriktionerna. Detta med hjälp av en dagbokundersökning som förstudie och telefonintervjuer. Analysverktyget bestod av teoretiska ramverk, Attention Restoration Theory (ART) och Stress Reduktion Theory (SRT). Resultat och analys har bekräftat Attention Restoration Theory (ART), där det uppges att gröna naturliga miljöer ger återhämtningseffekt och väcker uppmärksamhet efter en mental trötthet. Därtill bekräftade den även Stress Recovery Theory (SRT), där det uppges att gröna naturliga miljöer ger positiva effekt på stressminskning, -bearbetning och -återhämtning. Slutsatsen till denna undersökning är att grönstruktur har en stor betydelse för universitetsstudenterna, detta då alla väljer att vistas eller komma i kontakt med gröna naturen på ett eller annat sätt, till exempel gå en promenad i naturen eller åka till en stuga i skogen. Att naturen är en del av studenternas vardag verkar vara framför allt en omedveten upplevelse för de flesta och sker utan erkännande eller bearbetning av miljön. Dock framkommer det att processen kan vara medveten för vissa studenter.
Previous research has shown that exposure to the green environment provides health benefits. These benefits indicate among other things, recovery effect of stress, fatigue and attention-exhaustion, which is especially important for university students. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether there is a connection between university students' contact with the green structure in / near the study-environment and the students' experience of their study environment during the covid-19 restrictions. This with the help of a diary-survey as a pilot-study and telephone interviews. The analysis tool consisted of theoretical frameworks, Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Reduction Theory (SRT). Results and analysis have confirmed Attention Restoration Theory (ART), where it states that green natural environments have a recovery effect and attracts attention after a mental fatigue. In addition, it also confirmed the Stress Recovery Theory (SRT), which states that green natural environments have a positive effect on stress reduction, processing and recovery. The conclusion of this study is that green structure is of great importance to university students, as everyone chooses to reside or get in touch with green nature in one way or another, for example going for a walk in a green environment or staying in a cottage in the forest. That nature is a part of the students' everyday life seems to be above all an unconscious experience for most and takes place without recognition or processing of the environment. However, it appears that the process may be conscious for some students.

Minskad rörelse i vardagen är ett problem som idag blir allt större i världen. Trots att människor idag blir allt mer regelbundet fysiskt aktiva och utför mer planerad träning mer, minskar den rörelse i vardagen som krävs för att upprätthålla en god hälsa och minska risken för att dö i förtid. Någonting som visat sig kunna öka vardagsrörelse är närvaron av parkmiljöer. Forskning har visat på att där färre parker fanns, rörde människor på sig mindre. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka relationen mellan vardagsrörelse och parkmiljöer utifrån fysiskt aktiva unga vuxnas uppfattning. Metoden som användes var intervjuer av unga vuxna (18 - 30 års ålder). Varför detta urval användes var för att denna åldersgrupp tidigare ansetts ha god hälsa under denna levnadsperiod, men nya rön visar på att människor i dessa åldrar blir allt mer inaktiva i vardagen. Fysiskt aktiva människor valdes var för att se hur deras uppfattningar om rörelse utöver deras normala träning betyder för just dem. Sex stycken aktiva unga vuxna individer rekryterades till studien och intervjuades. Resultatet visade på att unga vuxna förstår innebörden av vilka positiva effekter rörelse ger, men var samtidigt negativt inställda till att besöka parkmiljöer. Den enstaka rörelsen i parker som studiedeltagarna angav var i form av promenader och löpturer. Deltagarna menade på att fler olika typer av verksamheter och gratisaktiviteter (kiosker, utomhusgym, etc.) bör finnas tillgängliga, för att öka besöksnivån i parkmiljöer under längre tid, samt bedriva mer vardagsrörelse där.
Reduced movement in everyday life is a problem that is becoming increasingly common in the world today. Although people today are becoming more and more regularly physically active and conduct more planned exercise, the everyday movement that is needed to maintain a good health and reduce the risk of dying prematurely, is decreasing. Something that has been shown to increase everyday activity is the presence of park environments. Research has shown that where fewer parks existed, people were more sedentary and less active. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between everyday movement and park environments based on the view of physically active young adults. The method used in this study consisted of interviewing young adults (18-30 years of age). Why this selection was used was because this group of age were previously considered to have good health during their period of life, but new evidence shows that people of these ages are becoming increasingly inactive in their daily lives. Physically active people were chosen to see how their perceptions of movement in addition to their normal training meant to them. Six active young adults were recruited to the study and interviewed. The results showed that young adults understand the meaning of the positive effects of movement, but at the same time they were negatively motivated to visit park environments. The single movement in parks indicated by the participants was in the form of walks and jogging. Participants suggested that more types of activities (kiosks, outdoor gyms, etc.) should be available to increase the visitor level in park environments for a longer period of time, as well as conduct more daily living there.

Landscape development[1] can provide many benefits, including the reduction of stormwater runoff and the creation of habitats for wildlife. It can also provide health benefits. Researchers, such as Roger Ulrich and Rita Berto have demonstrated that views of trees and other vegetation are associated with lower blood pressure and reduced recovery times in hospitals and that environments with more natural elements may lessen mental fatigue (R. Ulrich 1984) and (Berto 2005). As rebuilding in New Orleans continues 11 years after Hurricane Katrina, landscape development has been limited or lacking, especially in the redevelopment of commercial properties. Two prominent reasons for this deficiency are a lack of funding and, until August of 2015, the absence of a comprehensive landscape ordinance. The purpose of the research presented here is to determine the degree to which community residents express a preference for healthier commercial environments. As part of my research, I measured community perceptions of four potential redevelopment concepts for a blighted strip shopping center utilizing attention restoration theory (ART), which postulates that certain environmental qualities contribute to reductions in mental fatigue. I found that commercial environments with the most quality landscaping[2] are those that neighborhood residents most prefer and are most conducive to better health. Keywords: mental fatigue, attention restoration theory, perceived restoration scale, commercial landscape quantity, public health, healthy urban environment [1] Refer to operational definitions (pages 4-6). [2] Refer to operational definitions (pages 4-6).

Little is known about how residents of rapidly growing cities are impacted by the loss of natural environments. Large cities are expanding at an exponential rate, reducing the presence of, and access to, natural environments for urban dwellers. Many benefits to human health regarding the presence of natural environments near where people live and work are known, but impacts of the loss of natural environments for urban dwellers are unknown. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand residents' experiences regarding the loss of natural environments and related impacts. Attention restoration theory and place attachment were the theoretical lenses used to examine this problem. Data were collected via in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of 20 San Antonio residents. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis procedures, 7 themes emerged: (a) environment (b) health (c) safety (d) finance (e) community and culture (e) factors related to deprivation of nature, and (f) recommendations for improvements. Residents expressed concerns for their health, mental health, the environment, wildlife, byproducts of urbanization, social well-being, personal safety, and finances. Other possible key factors related to the process of deprivation of nature included experiencing a loss of freedom, associated with emotional impacts similar to sadness. Residents of San Antonio, city planners, and policy makers could benefit from understanding these impacts on residents. Data from this study may contribute to possible implications for social change and new knowledge and insights in the areas of health, mental health, social responsibility, urban planning, land conservation, and environmental psychology.

I stadens förändringsprocess, ständigt präglad av nya ideal, ska många intressen förenas och beaktas vid utformningen av skolgårdar. Med utgångspunkt i naturens betydelse för barns hälsa och utveckling undersöker denna studie två skolgårdar i Malmö utifrån tre perspektiv: skolgårdarnas utformning, högstadieelevers användning av och preferenser på skolgården samt planerarens prioriteringar och tillvägagångssätt vid utformningen av skolgårdsmiljöer. Syftet är, genom förståelse för hur dessa tre perspektiv kan förenas, öka kunskapen kring hur skolgårdarna kan planeras mer socialt och ekologiskt hållbart i den föränderliga staden. Detta undersöks med en mixad metod genom platsobservationer, enkätundersökningar och intervjuer. Empirin påvisar en relativt passiv inställning till skolgården bland eleverna, oberoende av skolgårdens storlek och mängd grönska samt att de överlag prioriterar social interaktion och mobilanvändande på rasterna. Tolkningen av det empiriska materialet utifrån teorin tyder på att det är grönskans kvalitet som påverkar elevernas intresse för att ta del av miljön. Genom intervjuerna framkom det att utformningen av ett grönt ramverk som erbjuder olika rumsligheter kan bidra till en mer jämlik, inkluderande och hållbar skolgårdsmiljö. Den ideala skolgårdsmiljön, som kan anses vara en där naturen företräds, speglar dock inte nödvändigtvis elevernas uppfattning av den ideala skolgården. Elevernas preferenser kan däremot få ta plats inom det hållbara ramverket, genom aktiv gestaltning.
Within the city's transformative process, constantly tinged by new ideals, different interests must be united and considered in the planning and design of school grounds. Based on the importance of nature for children's health and development, this study examines two school grounds in Malmö from three perspectives: the school grounds design and shape, the use and preferences of the students on the school grounds, and the planner´s priorities and proceedings in planning school ground environments. The purpose is, through an understanding of how these three perspectives can unite, to increase knowledge on how school grounds can be planned more socially and ecologically sustainable in the transformative city. This is investigated with a mixed method through site observations, surveys and interviews. The empirical evidence shows a relatively passive relation to the school ground among the students, regardless of the school grounds size and amount of greenery, and generally they prioritize social interaction and mobile phone use during breaks. The interpretation of the empirical material, based on the theory, indicates that it is the quality of the greenery that affects the student’s interest in using the environment. Through the interviews, it emerged that the design of a green framework that offers different spatialities can contribute to a more equal, inclusive and sustainable school ground. The ideal environment of the school ground, which can be considered one that is characterized by natural environments, does not necessarily reflect the student's ideal of it. The students' preferences can however be accommodated within the sustainable framework through continuous design.

The diploma thesis is based on research findings that the natural environment can help restore depleted emotional and cognitive resources. Theoretical part summarizes the results of research studies in this area and provides a sufficient number of studies which have confirmed the above mentioned phenomenon. In the empirical part I am devoted to ascertaining whether the picture of environment can have restorative effect on cognitive and emotional resources, and compare the effects of three different outdoor environments. The research was conducted by experiment, respondents were exposed to visual stimulus material with motives of natural environment, park or urban environment and then was measured their attention and mood.

A research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MA by coursework and Research Report in the field of Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, November 2017
The current study utilized the Attention Restoration Theory to investigate whether plants in an office context produced restorative effects that enable employees to perform better. The Attention Restoration Theory asserts that individuals will experience increased concentration after spending time in or viewing nature. This study was one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the effect of indoor plants on experiences of performance outcomes and perceptions of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) within South Africa. The researcher aimed to assess whether the individual’s nature identity moderated the impact of the plants. Most previous studies on the outcomes of indoor plants have been conducted in Western, Northern hemisphere contexts. In this experimental study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) no plants or pictures of plants; (2) only plants; (3) only canvas pictures of plants. The rooms were identical in every other respect. Participants completed two tasks (a card-sorting task and a reading task) and two questionnaires, namely the connectedness to nature scale to assess participant’s nature identity and a previously developed questionnaire that aimed to assess task performance. Additionally, SE controls IEQ monitors were positioned in each office to measure fluctuations of air quality (i.e. temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels) in order to assess IEQ. The results from a series of ANOVA’s demonstrated a reduction in participants’ errors (F (2, 117) = 7.137, p = 0.001), a positive reaction to the given task (F (2, 117) = 8.904, p = 0.000), as well as a reduction in participants’ task completion time (F (2, 117) = 43.422, p = 0.000) in the plants condition. These results demonstrated a statistically significant effect on performance in the presence of plants as well as an improvement in air quality through a reduction of carbon dioxide (F (2, 117) = 6.429, p = 0.000). The results revealed that the plants condition was statistically significantly different from that of the pictures of plants and the control condition with regards to the performance outcomes. The result from the two-way ANOVA’s demonstrated that nature identity did not moderate the above relationships (Errors: F (1, 114) = 2.060, p = 0.132; Completion time: F (1, 114) = 0.967, p = 0.383; Reaction to the task: F (1, 114) = 0.017, p = 0.983). This study enhances knowledge regarding indoor plants within the South African context as well as practically influencing working environments where employees are expected to be productive.
MT 2019

碩士
逢甲大學
景觀與遊憩碩士學位學程
101
Restorative theory has long been in the landscape area of research is an important issue, the more restorative Scale for Studies by researchers in the past 20 years, the attention, and rapid development; This study collected nearly 20 years on the development of attention of the relevant scale restoration literature; among them, the attention on the evolution of recovery time scales can be found from the large-scale natural and human environment and gradually developed into the natural landscape of a single or a small space in the evolution of the courtyard, trying to understand the scale of the measuring dimensions and research contexts do further exploration. Select FCU fourteen different attributes of campus space as a research base for Feng Chia University students in an empirical study, a total of 470 subjects, the final statistical analysis SPSS and LISREL. For Feng Chia University campus restorative Scale for analysis and generation of known as base Z Feng Chia University, represented by 14 different attributes of space add the total number of sanctions for (CFA) analysis, the results show: goodness-of-fit index (GFI) and adjusted GFI (AGFI) and other fit indexes are in compliance with the standard model and the model evaluation sufficient explanatory power. In other words, the more complex the four dimensions of perception is constructed can be recognized. Through Zhangchun Wan (2011) Restorative design techniques, as a follow-classification restoration the magnitude of the reference basis, representing the floor in front of the school Xuesi Reflection Garden (base B) and Qiu memorial in front of the green space (Base K) for independent samples T test; among them, the more complex perception (Being-away , Extent , Fascination and Compatibility) Individually significant differences. However, this two bases, respectively (B, K) for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), results showed: For the more complex high degree of base, its more able to feel the &;quot; Extent &;quot; dimension, followed by &;quot; Fascination &;quot; facets; restorative low degree of base, its more can feel &;quot; Compatibility &;quot; dimension, followed by &;quot; Fascination &;quot; dimension. However, this two bases in terms of the subjects vary, still have a certain degree of correlation. Then analyzed by one-way ANOVA (One-Way ANOVA) results showed that: Feng Chia University fourteen different attributes of campus space for the more complex perception (Being-away , Extent , Fascination and Compatibility) Individually significant differences; addition, the fourteen were the average of the total restoration arranged sequentially, plotted restorative Feng Chia University campus map, for students, faculty, psychological aspects, more options restorative place; for landscape design, planners and allow the space has a good configuration (moving lines, open spaces, etc.). This study is a small-scale test facilities of the campus space, practicality restorative Scale for scales for more remains to be done repeatedly verified, that future researchers can use this restorative scale space and children for the medical use of space to explore, and even developed a proprietary medical and child space restorative scale; Finally, findings, export of campus space restorative perception of issues and recommendations. Hope that through Kaplan &; Kaplan(1989) restorative environment perspective as a theoretical framework, and the more complex areas of domestic and foreign relevant scholars to develop a more appropriate restorative scale.

The work deals with theoretical research of basis of Environmental Psychology for Outdoor Education. It answers two questions ? why in the conceptions of Outdoor Education is nature the preferred environment and what are the benefits of nature for physical, mental and social health. The answers to theses questions are in the work described through theories of environmental preference and restorative effects of nature. There are three major sections of the work. The first part discusses the basis, principles and contents of Environmental Psychology and Outdoor Education, the core terminology of the work, and the nodal points of Environmental Psyhcology and the theory of Outdoor Education. Second part describes those theories and concepts of Environmental Psychology which are related to the primary and subsidiary research questions. The third part evaluates the impacts and relevance of environmental-psychological knowledge on concepts of Outdoor Education.

Previous research has revealed that green spaces provide numerous benefits to human beings. One such benefit is the proven ability of green spaces to restore individuals’ attention capacities. However, there exists very little literature that examines these benefits in the context of tertiary education campuses. University campuses are hubs where full-time students spend many hours daily during the course of their studies and are therefore exposed to the benefits of the landscaping on their campuses. This study therefore aimed to determine the manner in which students at the University of Pretoria perceive the on-campus green spaces, specifically in terms of the restorative properties of these areas. Quantitative data collection strategies were utilised, yielding a final sample size of 286 participants. A survey was employed as the research design, and included both closed and open-ended questions. Results indicated a generally positive perception of the green spaces on campus. Students tend to enjoy spending time in green spaces and find all green spaces that were addressed restorative. The Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden was rated as the most restorative green space on campus. Future research includes exploring the link between attention restoration and academic achievement of students in order to better understand the role green spaces play in this regard.
Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
lk2014
Psychology
MA
Unrestricted

Research suggests that interacting with nature has positive psychological, physiological, and cognitive benefits. Views to nature, interacting with nature, and other visual nature stimuli have been widely studied. However, nature soundscapes have received less attention; and the limited research that has been published has mixed findings. The present study assessed whether nature soundscapes influenced performance on cognitive and affective assessments. Participants completed the Flanker task, the Stroop task, a Visual Search task, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, while exposed to either nature sounds alone, nature sounds with outdoor views, or neither. No statistically significant differences in performance were found for any of the three conditions, on either the cognitive and affective assessments. These findings indicate that the relation between nature sounds and cognition is more complex than originally presumed, and potential future directions are discussed.
Graduate
2020-04-11

Hooves 4 Healing: The Capacity of the Horse in Breast Cancer Rehabilitation is a multifaceted, evidence-based program that uses horses and nature as the media for the physical, cognitive, and psychological rehabilitation of individuals who have or had breast cancer. Such vulnerabilities may occur from the cancer disease itself, as well as from the processes used to treat it. Physical vulnerabilities include decreased strength, range of motion and upper-body coordination, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and mobility. Cancer-related cognitive impairments include vulnerabilities in executive functioning such as planning, memory, attention, and problem-solving. Cancer and its treatments often elicit mental fatigue that negatively affects attention and the joy of life. Collectively, these vulnerabilities may lead to occupational imbalance through the loss of independence and engagement in important and meaningful roles and relationships. Through grooming and quiet reflective interactions with horses in outdoor environments such as paddocks or fields, Hooves 4 Healing addresses these vulnerabilities. Engaging in a novel equine-based rehabilitation program in a nonclinical environment will support participants’ physical, cognitive, and psychosocial needs in a restorative, nature-rich setting, thus facilitating the return to meaningful occupations and life roles.

This thesis is an exploratory look into the use of mindfulness practice on in-depth nature experiences to determine if the practice has benefit to the participant, their outdoor experience, and overall connectedness with nature. An original research project examined three groups of adolescents from St. Michaels University School Outdoor Education program in Victoria, BC, Canada, as they hiked the Juan de Fuca trail. Two of the three groups undertook a simple mindfulness protocol to explore the outcomes. Based on participant-observation and interviews, mindfulness practice was determined to be a useful practice towards alleviating stress and anxiety associated with aspects of in-depth outdoor experiences, such as morning preparations. Participants who practiced mindfulness on the trip asked fewer questions about the future and remained present more often than those who did not practice mindfulness. A further finding was that there are aspects of mindfulness inherent in in-depth nature experiences, such as sitting around a fire. These inherent mindfulness moments should be encouraged as they provide benefit to trip experiences, and potentially towards greater connectedness with nature. Overall, this qualitative study suggests that mindfulness is a useful tool for the benefit of human well-being and nature connection. However, more research is needed to further identify the magnitude and mechanisms of the benefit.
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