The document discusses environmental psychology and the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. It defines environmental psychology as an interdisciplinary field that focuses on how the natural environment and built environments shape individuals. It also discusses how environmental psychology broadly defines "environment" to include natural, social, built, learning and informational environments.

1. Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Department of Architectural Engineering
ARC 323 : Human Studies in
Architecture
Fall 2018
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Topics 2

2. Environmental Psychology

3. Environmental Psychology
• Environmental psychology is an
interdisciplinary field that focuses on the
interplay between individuals and their
surroundings.
• It examines the way in which the natural
environment and our built environments
shape us as individuals.

4. Human
Experience
Human
Environment
Built
Environment
Natural
Environment
Virtual
Environment
Environment Relationship

5. Environmental Psychology
• The field defines the term environment
broadly, encompassing natural environments,
social settings, built environments, learning
environments, and informational
environments.

6. Environmental Psychology

7. Individual Differences and Preferences

8. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
8
9-1999
Background
• Pruitt Igoe
Housing Project,
St. Louis,
Missouri, USA
• A multi million dollar complex
of relatively new apartment
building which had to be
destroyed because it was
unsuitable for the occupants.
Designers apparently failed to
understand the life style of
the people who were to
occupy the housing.

9. Video
• Why did we build high-rise public housing
projects?
• https://youtu.be/7eGTU_uXLKk

10. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
10
9-1999

11. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
11
9-1999
Background
• Building Users
• Users are typically thought of as occupants, e.g. those who visit, reside
or work in buildings. Indirect users are those who make observations
because they are nearby or have an unobtrusive view.

12. • Architectural Programming
• Programming enables the owner’s needs to be defined and
translated into specific design instructions. Conflicts must be
identified and resolved during the programming stage. The
analyses and reports produced during programming are the
basis for design. They are the link between the owner’s needs
and the architect’s plans.
Architectural Programming

14. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
14
9-1999
Background
• Building Users
• The Building Occupants . When
we use the term “user” we refer
to occupants of buildings.
Occupants should be seen in
terms of the major activities
performed in a building. For
example, in a hospital the
occupants are patients, nurses,
doctors, technicians, maintenance
people, and visitors. Each of these
occupant groups perform
important functions within the
building, and these must be
considered by the architect.

15. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
15
9-1999
Background
• Differences Among Occupants
• While readily visible distinctions are apparent (e.g. gender, age, etc.),
many subtle psychological, cultural, and social factors exist which may
be extremely important for the designer to consider but which cannot
be readily identified. People have memories of past events, the ability to
learn, a cultural and biological heritage, and many other attributes
which serve to distinguish individuals from one another.

16. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
16
9-1999
Background
• Differences Among Occupants
 For example, in the design of housing for elderly people, bear in mind
likely difficulties in walking , seeing, and hearing. These factors should
be considered when planning illumination levels, passageways,
emergency signals, and exists.

17. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
17
9-1999
Background
• Personal and Cultural Differences
– Age
– Gender
– Health
– Education
– Economic Status
– Social Status
– Nature of Employment
– Ethnic Heritage
– Previous Experience
– Expectations
– Motivations
– Attitudes.

18. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
18
9-1999
Background
• Hierarchy of
Needs
• One of the most
comprehensive and widely
used schemes for defining
user needs was developed by
A. Maslow (psychologist),
who treated human needs as
an ever-changing process. He
assumes that complete
satisfaction of needs is not
possible because when one
set of needs is satisfied,
another one emerges.
Food, Clothing,
Shelter
Security
Member of a group
Status
Self

19. Instructor:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural Theory 1:
Human Environmental Factors
19
9-1999
Background
Food, Clothing, Shelter
Security
Member of a group
Status
Self

20. E. T. Hall – Proxemics

21. E. T. Hall – Proxemics
• Intimate distance – 6 to 18 inches (15-45cm)
This level of physical distance often indicates a
closer relationship or greater comfort
between individuals. It often occurs during
intimate contact such as hugging, whispering,
or touching.

22. E. T. Hall – Proxemics
• Personal distance – 1.5 to 4 feet (45-120cm)
Physical distance at this level usually occurs
between people who are family members or
close friends. The closer the people can
comfortably stand while interacting can be an
indicator of the intimacy of the relationship.

23. E. T. Hall – Proxemics
• Social distance – 4 to 12 feet (1,20m-3,50m)
This level of physical distance is often used with
individuals who are acquaintances. With
someone you know fairly well, such as a co-
worker you see several times a week, you might
feel more comfortable interacting at a closer
distance. In cases where you do not know the
other person well, such as a postal delivery driver
you only see once a month, a distance of 10 to 12
feet may feel more comfortable.

24. E. T. Hall – Proxemics
• Public distance – 12 to 25 feet (3,50-7,50m)
Physical distance at this level is often used in
public speaking situations. Talking in front of a
class full of students or giving a presentation
at work are good examples of such situations.

27. Processes in Perception

28. Two types of processes in perception:
• Psychologists distinguish
between two types of
processes in perception:
1. bottom-up processing and
2. top-down processing.

29. Two types of processes in perception:
• Bottom-up processing is also
known as data-driven
processing, because
perception begins with the
stimulus itself.

30. Two types of processes in perception:
• Processing is carried out in one direction
from the retina to the visual cortex, with
each successive stage in the visual pathway
carrying out ever more complex analysis of
the input.

31. Two types of processes in perception:
• Top-down processing refers
to the use of contextual
information in pattern
recognition.

32. Two types of processes in perception:
• For example, understanding
difficult handwriting is easier
when reading complete
sentences than when reading
single and isolated words.
• This is because the meaning
of the surrounding words
provide a context to aid
understanding.

33. It deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and
lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The
rset can be a toatl mses and you can
sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.

34. Gregory (1970) and Top Down
Processing Theory
• Psychologist Richard Gregory (1970) argued
that perception is a constructive process
which relies on top-down processing.
• Stimulus information from our environment
is frequently ambiguous so to interpret it, we
require higher cognitive information either
from past experiences or stored knowledge
in order to makes inferences about what we
perceive.

35. Gregory (1970) and Top Down
Processing Theory
• For Gregory perception is a hypothesis, which
is based on prior knowledge.
• In this way we are actively constructing our
perception of reality based on our
environment and stored information.

36. The Necker cube
• When you stare at the
crosses on the cube the
orientation can suddenly
change, or 'flip'.
• It becomes unstable and
a single physical pattern
can produce two
perceptions.

37. The Necker cube
• Gregory argued that this
object appears to flip
between orientations
because the brain
develops two equally
plausible hypotheses and
is unable to decide
between them.

38. Gregory (1970) and Top Down
Processing Theory
• A lot of information reaches the eye, but
much is lost by the time it reaches the brain
(Gregory estimates about 90% is lost!).
• Therefore, the brain has to guess what a
person sees based on past experiences.
• We actively construct our perception of
reality.
• Perception involves a lot of hypothesis testing
to make sense of the information presented to
the sense organs.

39. Gregory (1970) and Top Down
Processing Theory
• Our perceptions of the world are hypotheses
based on past experiences and stored
information.
• Sensory receptors receive information from
the environment, which is then combined
with previously stored information about the
world which we have built up as a result of
experience.
• The formation of incorrect hypotheses will
lead to errors of perception (e.g. visual
illusions like the Necker cube).

40. Gibson (1966) and Bottom Up
Processing
• James Gibson (1966) argues that perception is
direct, and not subject to hypotheses testing as
Gregory proposed.
• There is enough information in our environment
to make sense of the world in a direct way.
• His theory is sometimes known as the ‘Ecological
Theory’ because of the claim that perception can
be explained solely in terms of the environment.
• Sensation is Perception
• What you see is what you get!

41. Gibson (1966) and Bottom Up
Processing
• Gibson’s bottom up theory suggests that
perception involves innate mechanisms
forged by evolution and that no learning is
required.
• This suggests that perception is necessary for
survival – without perception we would live in
a very dangerous environment.

43. END