Environmental psychology (281949)
Course coordinator
Course description
The objective of the course is to familiarise the students with the framework and methods of Environmental psychology, which allow for participation in the process of planning and changing human’s physical environment. Throughout the course, the students will learn about the characteristics of human behaviour, perception and cognition in everyday environments, the specifics of the basic methods of data collecting in this field of Psychology, psychological aspects of using and forming the environment, as well as it’s improvement and protection.
Throughout the course, the students will go through all phases of a scientific research: from literature review in a specific area they chose, across developing a research design, to final presentation of the results and conclusions based on their research. In the final meeting of the course, students are presenting the process and results of the research accompanied by a group discussion.
Type of course
- Graduate studies / MS Courses taught in English (Elective course, 1 semester, 1 year)
ECTS: 6.00
Teaching hours: 60
Lectures: 30
Seminar: 30
Grading
Sufficient (2): 60% - 70%
Good (3): 71% - 80%
Very good (4): 81% - 90%
Excellent (5): 91% - 100%
Conditions for obtaining signature
Positively graded seminar work and passed written exam.
Types of instruction
- Lectures
- Assessments
- Other forms of group or individual learning
- Seminars
Learning outcomes
| Learning outcome | Evaluation methods |
|---|---|
| Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Define Environmental psychology as a scientific field and relate it to other technical and scientific fields 2. Define a research question within the particular focus area of Environmental psychology 3. Design scientific research appropriate for their chosen research question 4. Distinguish between various theoretical approaches to understanding human behaviour, perception and cognition related to physical environments 5. Understand the impact of environment on human behaviour, perception and cognition 6. Implement the understanding of human behaviour, perception and cognition in planning the physical environment | Seminars and final exam (written) |
Working methods
Teachers' obligations
Regularly holding lectures, consultations, learning materials
Students' obligations
Class attendance, active participation in seminar work, passed exam and positively graded seminar work.
Weekly class schedule
- Introductory lecture – history and scope of Environmental Psychology
- Predesign research, theories in Environmental Psychology
- Research designs for Environmental issues, observational methods, qualitative approaches
- Survey methods, measuring attitudes, experimental and quasi-experimental design
- Sensation and perception, cognitive maps and wayfinding, information management
- Ambivalence towards nature and natural landscapes, natural environments
- Testing acquired knowledge
- Assessing scenic beauty through visual landscape assessment and human landscape perception
- Environmental stress and stressors, impact of stress on body and mental health
- Quality of urban environment, appraising and designing built environment which promotes wellbeing and healthy behaviour
- Health benefits of nature; restorative environments
- Place, meaning and attachment; emotional responses to places
- Children, persons with disabilities and older populations as users of natural and built spaces
- Testing acquired knowledge
- Students will present their research, followed by a group discussion
Obligatory literature
- Steg, L., van den Berg, A. E. & De Groot, J. I. (2019). Environmental psychology: An Introduction (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Gifford, R. (2016). Research Methods for Environmental psychology. John Wiley & Sons. Kopec, D. (2024). Environmental Psychology for Design (4th Ed.) Bloomsbury Publishing.