Abstract
The three papers in this special issue represent an important advance in the effort to understand people's attachment to place. Economic factors do not provide an adequate explanation; it is necessary to seek less tangible influences. There are grounds for looking to the physical setting, and especially the natural environment available to residents. Access to other resources may also be important. And group affiliation can impact both cognitive and affective aspects of the attachment process. In terms of future research to better understand these intangibles, it may help to focus on the sense of place, the factors that make an environment psychologically comfortable. Three variables are proposed as researchable facets of the sense of place: (1) legibility, (2) the perception of and preference for the visual environment, and (3) the compatibility of the setting with human purposes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Foa, U. G. (1978). Interpersonal and economic resources. In S. Kaplan & R. Kaplan (Eds.),Humanscape: Environments for people. Belmont, CA: Duxbury. (Republished by Ulrich's, Ann Arbor, MI, 1982).
Frey, J. E. (1981).Preferences, satisfactions, and the physical environments of urban neighborhoods. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan.
Fried, M. (1963). Grieving for a lost home. In L. J. Duhl (Ed.),The urban condition. New York: Simon Schuster.
Gans, H. J. (1962).The urban villagers. New York: Free Press.
Greenbie, B. B. (1973). An ethological approach to community design. In W. F. E. Preiser (Ed.),Environmental design research. Stroudsburg, PA: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.
Herzog, T. R., Kaplan, S. & Kaplan, R. (1976). The prediction of preference for familiar urban places.Environment and Behavior, 8 627–645.
Herzog, T. R., Kaplan, S. & Kaplan, R. (1982). The prediction of preference for unfamiliar urban places.Population and Environment, 5 43–59.
Kaplan, R. (1983). The role of nature in the urban context. In I. Altman & J. F. Wohlwill (Eds.),Behavior and the natural environment. New York: Plenum Press.
Kaplan S. (1983). A model for person-environment compatibility.Environment and Behavior, 15 311–332.
Kaplan, S. & Kaplan, R. (1982).Cognition and environment: Functioning in an uncertain world. New York: Praeger.
Kaplan, S. & Talbot, J. F. (1983). Psychological benefits of the wilderness experience. In I. Altman & J. F. Wohlwill (Eds.),Behavior and the natural environment. New York: Plenum Press.
Lynch, K. (1960).The image of the city. Cambridge, MA: MIT.
Midgley, M. (1978).Beast and man: The roots of human nature. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Simon, H. A. (1978). Satisficing and the one right way. In S. Kaplan & R. Kaplan (Eds.),Humanscape: Environments for people. Belmont, CA: Duxbury. (Republished by Ulrich's, Ann Arbor, MI, 1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Requests for reprints should be mailed to Dr. Stephen Kaplan, Department of Psychology, Psychological Laboratories, Mason Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kaplan, S. Affect and cognition in the context of home: The quest for intangibles. Popul Environ 7, 126–133 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01254781
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01254781