SAGE Journal Articles

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Journal Article 1: Hansmann, R., & Scholz, R. W. (2003). A two-step informational strategy for reducing littering behavior in a cinema. Environment and Behavior, 35(6), 752-762.

Abstract: A field experiment investigated the effects of a two-step informational strategy to reduce littering in a cinema. Step 1 consisted of ambiguous information and aimed at inducing high cognitive motivation for a central processing of the subsequent information. Step 2 resolved the ambiguity and presented the antilittering information. In the experimental condition, the two-step antilittering information was given before the movie show, whereas in the control condition, no manipulation was included. Twenty-one shows with 4,329 visitors were analyzed. The informational strategy of the experimental condition (11 shows) resulted in a significant reduction (28.3%) in the weight of litter per person as compared to the control condition (10 shows). Thus, contrary to a previous conclusion of Horsley, ambiguous signs can be effectively used to reduce littering. Considering previous research, it is argued that the fit between communication strategy, the internal norms of the recipients, and the resulting motivation of the recipients is crucial for the design of an effective anti-littering campaign.

 

Journal Article 2: Harris, P. B., & Sachau, D. (2005). Is cleanliness next to godliness? The role of housekeeping in impression formation. Environment and Behavior, 37(1), 81-101.

Abstract: We conducted a study to determine if the cleanliness of an apartment would affect observer impressions of the resident. Participants (210 female and 126 male undergraduate students) read a story in which a character’s apartment was described as clean or dirty or in which no information about housekeeping was provided. For each condition, half the characters were male and half were female. After reading the story, participants rated the personality of the character. Poor housekeepers received lower ratings on measures of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Intelligence, and Femininity but received higher ratings on measures of Openness and Neuroticism. Results indicated no significant interactions between housekeeping and participant or character gender. Findings support the idea that housekeeping is a cue utilized in environmental impression formation.

 

Journal Article 3: Valera, S., & Guardia, J. (2002). Urban social identity and sustainability, Barcelona’s olympic village. Environment and Behavior, 34(1), 54-66.

Abstract: One of the most recent fields of investigation in environmental psychology focuses on the relationship between human behavior and management of environmental resources, aspects related to what is known today as sustainable human development. For the authors, this kind of behavior is linked to the relation that people establish with particular environments, specifically, the processes of socioenvironmental identity that condition the people-environment relationship. The authors present the results of a study conducted in the Olympic Village of Barcelona. The urban social identity of residents was analyzed, focusing on three main factors: identification-satisfaction, image of the neighborhood, and perceived social homogeneity. These three factors were analyzed in relation to a series of items in the initial questionnaire referring to proenvironmental behavior, representation of particular natural resources, and environmental attitudes. The authors expected the answers to these questions would differ significantly according to the degree of identification of residents with their neighborhood.

 

Journal Article 4: Dogu, U., & Erkip, F. (2000). Spatial factors affecting wayfinding and orientation. A case study in a shopping mall. Environment and Behavior, 32(6), 731-755.

Abstract: Although wayfinding and orientation in complex buildings is an important criterion for environmental behavior, research on the subject remains limited and the issue is not considered sufficiently during the design process. This article examines the factors that affect wayfinding behavior of individuals in a shopping mall and explains how their behaviors are influenced by factors such as building configuration, visual accessibility, circulation systems, and signage. The case study conducted in a mall in Turkey draws a sample profile of Turkish society from a wayfinding point of view. The relation between wayfinding behavior and shopping activity is discussed. The results show that people did not find the signage system sufficient. Although they found the mall an easy setting from the wayfinding point of view, they still required better solutions to find specific destinations such as telephone booths, restrooms, or stores located in parts of the building that were not visually accessible.

 

Journal Article 5: Gambrill, Eileen. (2013). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders as a major form of dehumanization in the modern world. Research on Social Work Practice, 24(1), 13-36.

Abstract: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is one of the most successful technologies in modern times. In spite of well-argued critiques, the DSM and the idea of “mental illness” on which it is based flourish, with ever more (mis)behaviors labeled as brain diseases. Problems in living and related distress are converted into medical problems, obscuring the role of environmental factors such as poverty and related political, social, moral, and economic factors such as the interest of the state in controlling deviant behavior and maintaining the status quo. This view shrinks rather than expands opportunities for freedom, growth, and dignity. It ignores the vast literature showing that unusual environments create unusual behaviors and that by arranging learning opportunities we can change behavior. Reasons for this marketing success are discussed and alternatives suggested including consensual counseling regarding problems in living and drawing on a science of behavior attending to environmental learning opportunities.