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There is growing evidence to support the notion that contact with nature is helpful for emotional states, attention, mental fatigue, behavior, and personal health. This study adopts a quasi-experimental approach to investigate the effects of limitedly visible indoor plants on students' psychology, physiology, and behavior and uses a control-series design covering one semester. Two classes of sophomores at a Taiwanese junior high school (eighth grade, N = 76), of which one served as the experimental group and the other as control, were surveyed once every 2 weeks. After six plants were placed at the back of the classroom, the experimental group had immediately and significantly stronger feelings of preference, comfort, and friendliness as compared to the control group. Also, the experimental group had significantly fewer hours of sick leave and punishment records due to misbehavior than the control group. In addition to the visual and psychological mechanisms that contributed to restoration, there may have been other factors at work. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.)

There is growing evidence to support the notion that contact with nature is helpful for emotional states, attention, mental fatigue, behavior, and personal health. This study adopts a quasi-experimental approach to investigate the effects of limitedly visible indoor plants on students' psychology, physiology, and behavior and uses a control-series design covering one semester. Two classes of sophomores at a Taiwanese junior high school (eighth grade, N = 76), of which one served as the experimental group and the other as control, were surveyed once every 2 weeks. After six plants were placed at the back of the classroom, the experimental group had immediately and significantly stronger feelings of preference, comfort, and friendliness as compared to the control group. Also, the experimental group had significantly fewer hours of sick leave and punishment records due to misbehavior than the control group. In addition to the visual and psychological mechanisms that contributed to restoration, there may have been other factors at work. Keywords: preference; comfort; friendliness; sick leave; misbehavior

This study examined 274 college students' psycho-physiological responses to the six major terrestrial biomes (desert, tundra, grassland, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and tropical forest), while taking into account the influences of three perceived physical variables (complexity, openness, and water features) presented in the biomes. The purpose of the study was to examine which specific natural setting can evoke the most positive reactions from people. ANCOVA tests and post hoc comparisons using the setting scores across the participants' data on the responses to 48 biome slides regarding scenic beauty, preference, the Shortversion Revised Perceived Restorativeness Scale and the Short-version Revised Restoration Scale were performed. The results indicated that tundra and coniferous forest were the most favored biomes, whereas desert and grassland were the least favored. These findings appeared to support the forest hypothesis rather than the long-held savanna hypothesis. In addition, the results of multiple regression analyses indicated that the three perceived physical factors explained 9% more variance of the respondents' reactions than the biome classification. This finding suggested that a nonhabitat-specific approach to environmental responses holds more promise than a habitat-specific approach. Keywords: human evolution; savanna hypothesis; forest hypothesis; habitat-specific approach; nonhabitat-specific approach

ABSTRACT. Feng Shui has endured as an art of site selection in East Asia for more than 3,000 years and still remains popular in Chinese societies. It may have positive [...]

The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of visible greenness rate, green coverage ratio and distance from plants on human perceptions and parameters of the physical environment. A secondary purpose was to explore the correlation between parameters of physical environment and human perceptions when indoor plants were present. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Experimental treatments were administered by placing either three or eight pots of Radermachera hainanensis Merr. in a room. Sixty students of a technology university in central Taiwan were recruited as participants, and their perceptions were collected using a questionnaire. Physical parameter data were collected using two air quality detectors. The results indicated the following: when the visible greenness rate was identical, different green coverage ratios and plant–participant distances did not exert different effects on participants' perceptions. Different green coverage ratios and distances from plants exerted differing effects on physical parameters. However, the distance from indoor plants had stronger and more consistent effects on physical parameters than the green coverage ratio. The environmental comfort of the participants increased with the CO2 level, and the lower the level of total volatile organic compound, the higher is the level of surprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychophysiological effects of different restoration need-inducing methods and the changes in these effects overtime. This study adopted a randomized controlled trial to assign participants (experiment 1: n = 120, experiment 2: n = 90) to four experimental treatments: control, imagined fatigue, the Stroop task and the binary classification task, and the Markus and Peters arithmetic test. We used self-report scales (The Pleasure–Arousal–Dominance emotion scale, The Well-being Measures, and The Restoration Scale) and an attention test (backward digit span) as pre- and posttests, and a physiological measuring device to continually assess participants' bodily mobilizations. The results showed that the Stroop task and the binary classification task as well as the Markus and Peters arithmetic test more significantly increased the arousal of subjective perception and decreased restoration than the control and imagined fatigue, and the physiological influences of the methods varied overtime with no definitive trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study argues that although scenic beauty, preference, and restoration are correlated due to their functional significance over evolution, they still can be distinguished from one another within natural landscapes. A total of 274 undergraduate students reported their responses with scenic beauty, preference, and restoration as the target variables while viewing 48 landscape slides of six biomes. In addition, a group of three judges evaluated three physical features presented in the landscape slides as controlling and descriptor variables, described as 'complexity,' 'openness,' and 'water features.' Statistical analyses showed that (a) the three target variables were all significantly and highly (rs > 0.94, p < 0.05) correlated; (b) the only mediated relationship among the target variables was preference mediating scenic beauty and restoration; and (c) scenic beauty and preference versus restoration could be distinguished from each other with respect to the types of natural landscapes and the three physical features.

A field experiment was conducted at a junior high school with 35 students to compare the influence of passive versus active interaction of occupants with indoor plants and the effect of distance from plants on the participants. The participants’ data on subjective perception and objective performance were collected every four weeks over a semester. The active interaction mode group (n = 18) was required to take care of the plants in the classroom and surrounding areas, while the passive interaction mode group (n = 17) was not. The results indicated that (1) the active interaction mode had significantly greater self-reported stress restoration than the passive interaction mode with acceptable statistical power; (2) self-reported plant knowledge seemed to increase over the semester with no definite trend; (3) both active and passive interaction with plants could significantly increase self-reported attention restoration with acceptable statistical power; and (4) the plants at different distances from participants’ seats did not have different effects on participants, though the statistical power of this finding was less than ideal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the usefulness of Feng Shui in relation to the evolutionary theory of human habitat selection. Implication of Feng Shui for human welfare; Combination of natural and cultural considerations; Promotion of resource utilization and cultural values.

In line with recent emphases on practical application, this paper attempts to develop a widely applicable integral framework of landscapeassessment from previous research which has both a broad perspectiveand practical application techniques. TVs conceptual model links theanalytical capacity of the psychophysical approach to the theoretical base of the psychological approach and includes realistic human responses. Its theory is borrowed from an enhanced psychological paradigm and identifies, through use of a GIS-derived structured methodology, both direct and indirect relationships among physical elements, mood states, and viewers' preference. The potential for more sophisticated, three-dimensional computer techniques is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]