Lecture 1.

Introduction; two systems of information processing

Environmental psychology studies relationships between people and the environment from the
perspective of the individual mind.
• relatively young discipline
• oriented towards real world problems
• interdisciplinary endeavour: probably because practical questions dealing with reality are leading, and
reality does not mind about disciplines
• dominated by psychologists, but geographers and architects made important contributions
• focused on the level of the individual, but oftentimes taking group phenomena (e.g., social norms) into
account
• employs a variety of methods: case study, correlation study, experiment
• human-environment relationships studied in 2 directions: 1) what the environment does with people
(e.g., preferences, experiences, behaviours, health, well-being) 2) what people do with the environment
(e.g., environmentally significant behaviour, conservation behaviour, support for policy and, involvement
in placemaking)

Four basic theoretical perspectives that address the inner world as it relates to the outer world
1) perception
2) cognition
3) emotion
4) action

Dual Process Theory

Two systems of information processing, evaluating and decision making:
• System 1: Implicit and automatic subconscious processing (we identify ourselves with it)
• System 2: Explicit and effortful conscious processing

System 1 System 2
Unconscious reasoning Conscious reasoning
Implicit Explicit
Automatic Controlled
Low Effort High Effort
Large Capacity Small Capacity
Fast Slow
Nonverbal Linked to language
Parallel Serial
Experiential learning Formal learning – requires attention
System 1 advantages System 1 disadvantages
Operates quickly Cannot handle abstract or complex problems
Does not require focused attention Works with simple templates
Often suggests good responses Is prone to undetected biases and error
Great for routine jobs
System 2 advantages System 2 disadvantages
Allows reflection Slow
Can weight pros and cons Requires lots of energy and attention
Can handle logic and formal reasoning Resources easily depleted
Can apply abstract models to new situations System 2 is lazy
Lecture 2. Evolutionary and cultural perspectives on the human mind

Evolution theory
• variation
• natural selection
• organisms get increasingly complex over time
• biological characteristics of organisms can be understood as adaptations
• same theory applies to mental phenomena
Strong claim: all psychological mechanisms have evolved as adaptations

Evolved psychological mechanism is set of processes in organism that:

1) exists because it solved a specific problem relevant to survival and well-being
2) takes only certain relevant classes of input
3) transforms information into behaviour that is likely to solve the problem
We have many evolved psychological mechanisms, as there are many different problems relevant to
survival and well-being

Criticism to evolutionary psychology

“When evolutionary psychologists conduct empirical research, results that contradict the paradigm are
dismissed as invalid with the justification that current environments differ from ancestral ones.”

Cultural perspective
Why do cultures emerge?
1. Evolutionary explanation – fosters survival
• e.g., hunting works better together
2. Psychological needs explanation – meets the needs of individuals
• e.g., religion can decrease anxiety
3. Communicative explanation – culture as by-product
• we interact with each other, and the emerging pattern is culture
What makes societies possible?
• human behaviour is heavily shaped by learning
• social rules add to genetically encoded behaviours, to allow for more complexity
• social rules co-ordinate behaviours

Social rules
• are arbitrary, but not completely
• are taken very seriously
• have consequences
• are very complex
• are everywhere
• are highly influential (behaviour, perception, thinking, feeling, physiological responses)

Social rules are internalized through socialization

• family, peers, school, media
• communication is central
o verbal and non-verbal
• ultimately, social rules are internalized as mental concepts
• this process is called socialization

Is evolutionary perspective at odds with cultural perspective?

• NO; the claim is that we are born with psychological mechanisms
o yet, these mechanisms are flexible and open to learning, and require input to fully mature
• for example, we have an innate capacity to acquire language
o yet, the specific language an individual acquires is determined by culture