Environmental Experiences Research Articles

Effects of scenery frame on visual depth perception in classical Chinese gardens: A case study of the Lvyin Pavilion in Lingering Garden

Visual depth (distance) perception is a fundamental aspect of environmental cognition, as it allows people to judge the spatial scale of their surroundings. However, estimating the depth of classical Chinese gardens is challenging, especially from static viewpoints that frame the scenery. Previous studies have examined how the internal components of the scenery frame affect depth perception. Still, the role of the frame and its peripheral information as environmental background have been largely overlooked. This study investigates how depth perception at viewpoints is influenced by viewing position displacement, frame geometry, and environmental context. The authors created nine stimulus materials in a cave virtual reality environment (three image treatments × three positions). Seventy-one participants were asked to evaluate depth perception using the magnitude estimation and adjustment methods. Their eye movement behavior was also recorded using an eye-movement instrument (SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) eye-tracking glasses, 120 Hz). The results showed that participants could perceive spatial depth differences between viewing positions even when the internal viewpoint displacement was small; frame shape did not significantly affect depth perception and gaze behavior; and peripheral visual information of the frame enhanced depth perception significantly. Moreover, the form of the environmental background, especially the position of the scenery window, strongly guided the participants’ gaze. These findings suggest that ambient visual information significantly impacts environmental experience, which landscape designers should consider.

Development and Usability Assessment of Virtual Reality- and Haptic Technology-Based Educational Content for Perioperative Nursing Education

Background/Objectives: In perioperative nursing practice, nursing students can engage in direct, in-person clinical experiences in perioperative environments; however, they face limitations due to infection and contamination risks. This study aimed to develop and evaluate educational content for perioperative clinical practice for nursing students using virtual reality (VR) and haptic technology. Methods: The program, based on the Unity Engine, was created through programming and followed the system development lifecycle (SDLC) phases of analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation. This program allows nursing students to engage in perioperative practice using VR and haptic technology, overcoming previous environmental limitations and enhancing practical and immersive experiences through multi-sensory stimuli. Results: Expert evaluations indicated that the developed content was deemed suitable for educational use. Additionally, a usability assessment with 29 nursing students revealed high levels of presence, usability, and satisfaction among the participants. Conclusions: This program can serve as a foundation for future research on VR-based perioperative nursing education.

Functional Brain Adaptations During Speech Processing in 4-Month-Old Bilingual Infants.

Language learning is influenced by both neural development and environmental experiences. This work investigates the influence of early bilingual experience on the neural mechanisms underlying speech processing in 4-month-old infants. We study how an early environmental factor such as bilingualism interacts with neural development by comparing monolingual and bilingual infants' brain responses to speech. We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure 4-month-old Spanish-Basque bilingual and Spanish monolingual infants' brain responses while they listened to forward (FW) and backward (BW) speech stimuli in Spanish. We reveal distinct neural signatures associated with bilingual adaptations, including increased engagement of bilateral inferior frontal and temporal regions during speech processing in bilingual infants, as opposed to left hemispheric functional specialization observed in monolingual infants. This study provides compelling evidence of bilingualism-induced brain adaptations during speech processing in infants as young as 4 months. These findings emphasize the role of early language experience in shaping neural plasticity during infancy suggesting that bilingual exposure at this young age profoundly influences the neural mechanisms underlying speech processing.

Farmers’ Perception of Shelter Forests and the Influencing Factors in Windy Desert Areas of the Hexi Corridor, China

Shelter forest systems in the sandy areas mainly comprise farmland shelter forests (FSF) and windbreak and sand-fixing forests (WSF). Through a questionnaire survey of farmers in the oasis–desert transition zone of the windy desert areas of the Hexi Corridor in China, a perception assessment model of farmers’ perception of the status quo and ecosystem service function of shelter forests was constructed, and the willingness of farmers to pay for shelter forest construction and protection was measured. Influencing factors for the farmers’ perception of shelter forests were analyzed by a multiple regression analysis. The results showed problems with pests and diseases all present in FSF and WSF, the destruction of farmland in FSF, and water scarcity in WSF. Farmers evaluated the ecological role of shelter forests as the most obvious in windbreak and sand fixation; intermediate in the four ecological roles of leisure and recreation, agricultural production, a sense of locality, and climate regulation; and the smallest in soil improvement. Nearly 95% of farmers are willing to donate funds to shelter forest construction and protection, and the average amount the farmers were willing to pay was CNY 54.30 per year. Willingness to pay, annual household income, gender, environmental experience, age, and interview area have significant effects on farmers’ perception of shelter forests. Finally, in this paper, we recommend increasing motivation through government financial support and training for farmers to address pests and diseases, water security, and the destruction of farmland in shelter forests to ensure healthy and sustainable growth.

A mountain of waste created daily: a thematic analysis of environmental sustainability experiences of postgraduate intensive care nursing students

BackgroundThe healthcare sector has a negative ecological impact, and intensive care is one of the most resource-consuming areas. Nurses have a duty to contribute to climate change reduction, design climate-resilient healthcare systems, and support individuals and communities in adapting to the effects of the planetary health crisis. It is essential to incorporate environmental sustainability into nursing education so that nurses can advocate for conscientious and ethically sustainable healthcare that benefits both patients and the planet. This study aimed to explore postgraduate intensive care nursing student experiences of environmental sustainability in clinical practice at intensive care units.MethodsData were collected using a qualitative questionnaire, and the data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The participants were 24 registered nurses studying postgraduate, specialist intensive care nursing courses at four universities in the south and west regions of Sweden.ResultsThe results describe critical care students’ environmental sustainability experiences in one overarching theme with five subthemes. Intensive care is a challenging context in terms of sustainability, where saving lives is the number one priority. There were good and bad sustainability habits among the staff, and awareness was key to improving. Clinical supplies come in unsustainable packages, and the participants wished for better alternatives and they wanted more knowledge and education on sustainable practices. The findings also emphasized the importance of a holistic perspective throughout each patient’s pathway.ConclusionsSustainability in intensive care units is somewhat unrecognised today, although intensive care nurses want that to change. The context where saving lives is prioritized makes implementing ecologically responsible practices a challenge. However, environmental sustainability in intensive care is feasible, with education needed for nurses to take on the responsibility of making improvements. Hospital management prioritizing sustainability is also important to support clinicians in implementing sustainable practices in intensive care units.

Into the virtual worlds: conceptualizing the consumer‐avatar journey in virtual environments

AbstractAs digital representations of human controllers, consumer‐avatars play a pivotal role in enabling immersive consumer experiences in virtual environments. Despite their significance in digital marketing research, the literature on consumer‐avatars is highly fragmented and lacks comprehensive analysis across studies. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review and developed a comprehensive conceptual framework of the consumer‐avatar journey, encompassing three unique phases: Self Representation, Avatar Embodiment, and Avatar‐Mediated Interactions. By integrating empirical evidence with multiple theoretical perspectives, including motivation, self‐concept, identification, and presence theories, we explored consumer motivations for self representation, how avatar identification occurs, and how avatar‐mediated interactions are facilitated by the sense of presence. Additionally, we examined the moderating roles of technological, social, and individual factors in these processes. Our study provides significant theoretical contributions to the current literature by consolidating fragmented research and offers practical insights for marketers to design effective strategies around consumer‐avatars. By elaborating on each phase of the consumer‐avatar journey, we developed 11 propositions and 5 research questions to guide future research on consumer‐avatars.

After the storm: Environmental tragedy and sustainable mobility

Due to mounting environmental challenges, communities are increasingly prioritising resilience and sustainability. Environmental disasters can be seen as windows of opportunity for collective action, influencing pro-environmental attitudes and engagement. While personal experiences of catastrophe can increase environmental awareness, they can also affect social capital, impacting relationships with peers and institutions. Within this context, a post-disaster community might be encouraged to put more efforts in the local urban sustainable transformation to reduce the impact of climate-change related event. To this end, individuals' daily micro-mobility choices may offer insight into community engagement with sustainability initiatives, given the link between modes of transportation and long-term urban pollution. Through a survey of Italian citizens, we explored how disaster experiences shaped attitudes towards sustainable modes of mobility, as well as changes in individual and social factors. The analysis employed a structural equation model based on an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour. The results revealed that disaster experiences tended to heighten awareness of climate change risk while also reducing social interaction, thereby affecting pro-environmental behaviour. Trust in local government was not permanently affected, highlighting the difficulty in identifying the direct impacts of environmental disaster experiences on pro-environmental actions. Sustainable consumption choices and pro-environmental attitudes may be influenced by social and psychological factors, including personal experiences, personal well-being and civic engagement.

Do sport-specific demands lead to sensory-motor changes?

The study investigated how sport-specific environmental demands influence reaction time. Fifty-six women were divided into groups by age (Adults and Children) and sport-specific sensory-motor demands (Volleyball, Track and Field, Control). The Reaction Time task measured sensorimotor performance, prompting participants to quickly respond to visual stimuli by pressing the corresponding key. Reaction time was evaluated under two conditions with varying stimuli counts. Adults outperformed children in reaction time regardless of sport or age group. However, no significant differences were observed between sports within each age group. Additionally, sport experience did not predict sensorimotor performance according to regression analysis. These findings suggest that age-related changes significantly impact sensorimotor performance, while sport-specific environmental demands and experience have limited influence under non-specific conditions.

Enhancing interior design education with artificial intelligence: A multisensory hotel design

With a focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to support multisensory hotel design projects, this study presents an alternative approach to interior design education. Unlike other AI tools used in design education, this research combines text-to-image AI platforms based on Large Language Models (LLM) with the AI tool called TextFX that creates sensory cues to enable conceptual visualization. By using a distinct approach, Antalya Bilim University students are able to go beyond the limits of conventional design thinking by converting multisensory design ideas into concrete visual representations. The procedure sets a new benchmark for AI-enhanced design education that focuses on producing an inclusive environmental experience by demonstrating how AI can both increase creative expression and expand interaction with multisensory aspects.

Psychological Changes in Green Food Consumption in the Digital Context: Exploring the Role of Green Online Interactions from a Comprehensive Perspective.

The advent of the digital economy has brought new opportunities to food marketing. In China, many food businesses have begun to use interactions under specific social media topics to open up new sales channels. Green food, as a representative of environmentally related topics, is increasingly influencing consumer choices through online interactions. In light of this, this study collected data from a large group of participants engaged in online green interactions to explore the psychological mechanisms behind consumers' choices of green food in an online context. The findings indicate that online green interactions positively influence the willingness to purchase green food, with environmental self-efficacy and flow experience serving as mediators in this relationship. Information trust and consumer traits act as boundary conditions. This study not only deepens the understanding of food consumer behavior in the digital context, but also provides important references for food companies on how to more effectively utilize online interaction to promote the market expansion of green food.

Abstract B168: A qualitative examination of how state policy and sociopolitical environmental influence experiences of cancer care for minoritized sexual and gender populations who have experienced breast cancer

Abstract Introduction: A growing body of literature is investigating how structural barriers, including policies, impact cancer outcomes among marginalized populations, including the 2SLGBTQ+ (two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, intersex, and gender non- conforming or gender non-binary)(sexual and gender minoritized (SGM)) communities. An underresearched area is how the state-level policy and sociopolitical environment shape the experiences and outcomes of SGM people who have experienced breast cancer. Using data from the Elsie Study, this research examines how SGM people who have experienced breast cancer are impacted by their state’s policies and sociopolitical context. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine these experiences of breast cancer care for SGM people. Methods: The Elsie Study is the largest qualitative survey of SGM people who have experienced cancer conducted within the U.S. To date the Elsie Study at the University of Minnesota has conducted 60-90 minute semi-structured interviews with thirteen sexally and gender minoritized people who have experienced breast cancer. Our participants were recruited from advertising campaigns on social dating applications, including HER, and community organizations. Interviews were conducted nationwide over Zoom and phone beginning in June 2023 and continuing through June 2024. Summary of data: Our participants who have experienced breast cancer have diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. Among the thirteen sexually and gender minoritized participants who experienced breast cancer, their sexual orientations encompass those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or some of these interchangeably. Participants’ gender identities include identifying as cisgender woman, genderqueer, non-binary, transgender man, and transgender woman. Participants’ racial and ethnic backgrounds are white, Black or African American, Latino/a/x, and Asian. Participants at the intersections of marginalized identities noted substantial difficulties in receiving culturally competent care during breast cancer treatment. A majority of SM and GM women and non-binary participants mentioned the importance of living in a “queer and trans friendly state,” liberal cities, or states with marriage equality for aspects such as accessing culturally competent cancer care and participating in cancer research. Conclusions: Narratives such as those expressed by our SGM participants who experienced cancer are important for understanding how state policy and sociopolitical contexts shape access to healthcare and even cancer research. Our study has wide implications for how affirming state policy and sociopolitical climates may afford more equity in cancer care for SGM people. Citation Format: Courtney Sarkin, Alexandra M. Ecklund, Ben Weideman, Rhea Alley, B.R. Simon Rosser, G. Nic Rider. A qualitative examination of how state policy and sociopolitical environmental influence experiences of cancer care for minoritized sexual and gender populations who have experienced breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B168.

User experience testing methods: Conclusions from the literature

Industry 4.0 focuses on the digitalization of production processes and technological innovation. The concept of Industry 5.0 puts the focus on human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience at the heart of research and development and innovation (R&D&I) processes to allow industry to serve humanity with a long-term vision that considers planetary boundaries. Replacing the technology-driven approach with a fundamentally human-centric approach requires a deep understanding of the working environment and workers interacting with machines to optimize worker well-being, working conditions, and job outcomes. Analyzing computer work User eXperience (UX) in industrial environments is vital. However, user perceptions are usually hidden and a challenge to detect. Therefore, measuring and monitoring perceptions, emotional reactions, subjective elements, preferences, and attitudes in the relationships between usability, work performance, and workload is crucial. This study provides conclusions of a literature review on user experience studies focusing on UX testing methods and the disciplines linked to industrial diversification. Based on literature analysis, it identifies UX testing methods and create own grouping to analyze them. It also examines the disciplinary context of user experience testing.

Fantasy of success, fear of failure and entrepreneurial choice: the moderating role of business vibrancy and failure experience

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of internal expectations, such as fantasy of success and fear of failure and external factors, such as social environment and past experiences, on entrepreneurial choice.Design/methodology/approachBased on achievement motivation and social cognitive theories, the authors construct hypotheses and use secondary data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database and Economic Freedom Index report to empirically test the hypotheses. The authors also use propensity score matching to solve the endogeneity issue and test the robustness.FindingsInternal expectations (fantasy of success and fear of failure) on business outcomes inversely affect entrepreneurial choices, with a vibrant business environment amplifying and past failure experience mitigating these effects.Originality/valueDue to the economic recession, governments encourage small businesses. Thus, the complexity of individual entrepreneurial motivations and influencing factors necessitate deeper exploration. This study is one of the first research offering insights into entrepreneurial motivations from combined dimensions and providing theoretical support for strategies promoting public entrepreneurship.

Navigating Spaces of Belonging: Undergraduate Nursing Students' Experiences in Online Learning Environments.

The aim of the study was to explore undergraduate nursing students' experiences of belonging while studying online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of online learning platforms increased drastically during the pandemic. Limited research exists on nursing students' experiences of belonging while studying online. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used for this study. This article reports on phase two, the qualitative component, which employed interpretive description methodology to understand nursing students' experiences. Ten semistructured interviews were completed, and four themes were identified: factors contributing to students' sense of belonging online, navigating the online learning environment, creating safe online spaces during times of uncertainty, and students' vision of developing a sense of belonging online. Fostering nursing students' sense of belonging is critical to their retention, persistence, and overall academic success when learning online.

Neighborhood-level sociodemographics and kindergarten children’s developmental vulnerability, pre- and post-COVID-19 in Canada

A child’s environment and early life experiences play an important role in shaping their development. The COVID-19 pandemic altered many aspects of everyday life for young children in Canada, and it has been argued that these changes did not impact all children equally. The current study explored the association between early child development and neighborhood sociodemographic indices (e.g., income, deprivation) before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) data, measuring child development and school readiness in kindergarten, were collected in 7 Canadian provinces and 1 territory from 2017-2020 (pre-COVID) and 2020-2023 (post-COVID) and were linked with neighborhood-level socioeconomic indices from 2016. We compared the gradients in development in a pre- (n=293,700) and a post-COVID (n=246,305) cohort of Canadian children. Rates of developmental vulnerability, as measured by the EDI, were examined for the sociodemographic variables in both the pre- and post-COVID cohorts. The overall vulnerability increased nationally from 27.3% in the pre- to 28.0% in the post-COVID cohort. A gradient in vulnerability rates for all the socioeconomic indices was found, with children in the highest quintiles, representing greater deprivation, having greater odds of being vulnerable than their peers in the lowest, least deprived quintile. Contrary to expectation, the magnitude of the gradient was very similar in both cohorts, with some jurisdictional differences. The largest gradient was found for average neighborhood income. These findings add the context of social determinants of health to the understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children.

FP5.7 - Why I don’t want a career in surgery? - Uncovering obstacles and investigating barriers among year 3 UK medical students: A thematic analysis

Abstract Aims Surgical training and placements can be stereotyped negatively by medical students. Our study aimed to identify barriers to pursuing a surgical career amongst UK year 3 medical students, to improve surgical educational policies. Methods An optional, anonymous, single-question, open-text survey was administered to 190, year 3 UK medical student, after they had completed an 11 week surgical clinical placement, comprising Breast, Emergency Department, Interventional Radiology, Orthopaedics, Peri-op anaesthetics, Plastics, Vascular, Upper/Lower GI and Urology. The specific question asked was, 'Would you contemplate pursuing a career in surgery?' Responses from students NOT considering a surgical career were analysed qualitatively using a thematic approach to identify perceived barriers to a surgical career. Results 102 responses were received of which 35 were not suitable for analysis. Of the remaining 67 students, 30 (44.8%) demonstrated a negative view towards a surgical career. Following thematic analysis four main themes were identified:Pre-existing interest in another specialty.Nature of surgical training (long duration, competitive, poor work-life balance).Stressful clinical workload, high emotional pressure and burnout.Negative, masculine culture within surgical teams. Positively, despite not planning to pursue surgery - some students reported surgery was not as intimidating as they had expected it to be and surgeons did not meet stereotypes they were expecting. Conclusions Medical students continue to comment on negative surgical working environment experiences. Our study highlights areas that high pressure surgical training placements, need to actively improve in order to ensure a positive working and teaching surgical environment for our future medical workforce.

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

Occupational diseases continue to be one of the major health problems of the able-bodied population worldwide. The reasons for this are numerous, but the main one is of course the nature of these diseases which by definition are chronic, progressive and degenerative, and the period of latency in which the disease does not have to manifest clinically can last for decades. The factors that can contribute to the development of an occupational disease, ie disease, are numerous and range from chemical, physical and biological to psychosocial risks, so there is a need to find new ways to control long-known risks, to observations of the most common workplace pathologies in the last twenty years, such as recurrent traumatic illnesses, immunodeficiency transmitted as a result of biological injuries and violence, and psychological trauma in the workplace. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of noise as a function of its levels and the duration of workplace exposure on workers' health. This study was conducted with 10 workers from the metal factory "Zhelezara", Skopj which have been exposed to the noise the longest period. According to the results of the research, it can be noted that workers working in a noisy environment experience certain side effects from the noise, although they use different protective equipment for the entire duration of the working time. New knowledge in occupational health and safety practice is needed to respond to new challenges in this field.

A study on landscape feature and emotional perception evaluation of waterfront greenway

Waterfront greenway is important spatial carriers for urban residents to engage in walking tours and fitness activities. Improving the quality of its walking spaces can have a positive impact on the mental well-being of pedestrians. This enhancement is a crucial aspect of building healthy cities. This study focused on urban waterfront greenway landscapes. Field surveys combined with questionnaire scales were used to assess pedestrians’ emotional perceptions, while concurrently collecting image data of waterfront greenway walking spaces. Semantic segmentation was employed to identify elements, and landscape metrics were calculated using relevant formulas. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between landscape metric features and emotional perceptions. And established a multiple regression model of pedestrian spatial perception on waterfront greenways to investigate the influence mechanisms of emotional perception and landscape metrics. The study indicates that greenness, proportion of water area, and vegetation diversity positively impact emotional perception of waterfront leisure greenway walking spaces, whereas path width negatively affects emotional perception. Specifically, the magnitude of influence is ranked as follows: greenness (0.491), proportion of water area (0.356), proportion of trails (−0.272), and vegetation diversity (0.130). The design guidelines for urban waterfront greenway spaces were proposed, guided by quantitative studies on landscape elements of waterfront greenway spaces and based on the measurement features of these elements. Moreover, the environmental experience of the waterfront green walking spaces was further enhanced, satisfying the public’s visual perception and psychological needs. The contribution of this study is to lay the foundation for the development of spatial control items for urban waterfront greenway.

Quantification choices for individual differences: An example of mapping self-report to psychophysiological responses

A popular focus in affective neuroscience research has been to map the relationships between individual differences (e.g. personality and environmental experiences) and psychophysiological responses, in order to further understand the effect of individual differences upon neurobehavioral systems that support affect and arousal. Despite this trend, there have been a lack of practical examples demonstrating how the quantification of individual differences (e.g. categorical or continuous) impacts the observed relationships between different units of analysis (e.g. self-report > psychophysiological responses). To address this gap, we conducted a two-stage aggregated meta-analysis of self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and skin conductance responses during threat extinction (k = 18, n = 1006) using different quantification choices for individual differences in self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (continuous, categorical via median split, and categorical via extremes – one standard deviation above/below). Results from the meta-analyses revealed that the different quantification techniques produced some consistent (e.g. higher IU was significantly associated with skin conductance responding during late extinction training) and inconsistent IU-related effects. Furthermore, the number of statistically significant effects and effect sizes varied based on the quantification of individual differences in IU (e.g. categorical, compared to continuous was associated with more statistically significant effects, and larger effect sizes). The current study highlights how conducting different quantification methods for individual differences may help researchers understand the individual difference construct of interest (e.g. characterisation, measurement), as well as examine the stability and reliability of individual difference-based effects and correspondence between various units of analysis.

Modernizing Mainframe Monitoring: A Comparative Analysis of Observability Dashboarding Tools

Abstract: This article explores the critical role of observability dashboarding in mainframe environments, focusing on the integration and support of modern observability tools. It examines the functionalities and benefits of leading solutions such as Prometheus with Grafana, Dynatrace, Datadog, AppDynamics, IBM Instana, and Checkmk, providing insights into how organizations can enhance their mainframe monitoring capabilities. The article emphasizes the significance of a multi-tool observability strategy, highlighting its advantages in flexibility, redundancy, and comprehensive coverage. Key benefits of effective observability, including proactive issue detection, downtime reduction, improved capacity planning, and enhanced security monitoring, are thoroughly discussed. The article also outlines best practices for implementing observability in mainframes, covering unified dashboards, standardized metrics, automation, training, and continuous improvement. By analyzing these tools and strategies, the research offers valuable guidance for organizations seeking to streamline their observability approaches, ultimately enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency in mainframe-dependent environments. This comprehensive examination of mainframe observability techniques provides a roadmap for leveraging legacy systems alongside cutting-edge monitoring solutions, addressing the evolving needs of modern IT infrastructures.