Definitions
Environmental perception has commonly been defined as awareness of, or feelings about, the environment, and as the act of apprehending the environment by the senses. A more encompassing definition and theoretical framework was provided by psychologist William Ittelson (1973) who described environmental perception as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, as a transactional process between the person and the environment. He offered three general conclusions about the nature of perceiving: first, it is not directly controlled by the stimulus; secondly, it is linked to and indistinguishable from other aspects of psychological functioning; and thirdly, it is relevant and appropriate to specific environmental contexts.
Within this theoretical framework Ittelson suggested that environments surround the person, provide opportunities for exploration, and provide information that is received through all senses – feeling, hearing, seeing, smelling, and tasting. Because they do surround and...
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Bibliography
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Ittelson, W. H. (ed.), 1973. Environment and Cognition. New York: Seminar Press.
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© 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Zube, E.H. (1999). Environmental perception. In: Environmental Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_120
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-412-74050-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4494-6
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