Rita Berto

Why do preferences differ between scene types

Groups of subjects judged one example of two different types of outdoor scene on each of the items of the Perceived Restorative Scale, on two preference scales and a familiarity scale. It was argued that the previously demonstrated large variations in preference between different types of scenes were the result of participants using the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for the preference judgment. Preference and the Perceived Restorative Scale score correlated .81, whereas familiarity and the Restorative Scale correlated .31, and preference and familiarity correlated .32. This result supports the hypothesis regarding the use of the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for preference judgments. It is further argued that variations in the preference and restorative value of scenes may be associated with fractal geometry.

Assessing the restorative value of the environment: A study on the elderly in comparison with young adults and adolescents

Nature is not only appreciated for its aesthetic characteristics, but is also a useful resource for people. It plays an important role in the process of attention restoration and recovery from stress. Young adults and adolescents assess natural environments as being more restorative than built environments. This study sought to test whether natural environments are more restorative than built environments for the elderly as well. The study is made up of two phases: (1) an empirical study with the elderly, (2) a comparison of data from the elderly with two earlier studies of adolescents and young adults. To achieve this aim a group of 50 elderly people (age range: 62–93 years) was asked to rate the restorative value of 10 pictures of environments ranging from natural to built, covering 5 environmental categories: housing, industrial zone, city streets, hills, and lakes. Each picture was assessed using the Perceived Restorativeness Scale. Participants were from three living situations: elderly living in a p...

Unveiling biophilia in children using active silence training: an experimental approach

Biophilia - the innate tendency of human beings to focus on and to affiliate with natural life emotionally - occurs spontaneously in school children. In this study we hypothesized that the development of biophilia is facilitated by an active silence training (AST). In AST silent observation is used as a means to achieve self-knowledge, while games are used as a way of evoking fascination, i.e. to help directed attention to rest and to be restored. Therefore an experimental protocol was set up with aim of assessing how effective the AST would be in restoring the attention of 120 children of a primary school in Aosta (Italy). The results show that the experimental groups performance on the attention test improved as a result of the AST, without affecting either systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Hence, AST seems to be

How does Psychological Restoration Work in Children? An Exploratory Study

This study investigates three issues concerned with psychological restoration in children, specifically whether children perceive the difference between the restorative value of a natural and a built environment; whether the perception of restorativeness affects children’s attentional performance; how children feel to be connected with Nature. To this aim, 48 children age 9-11 years participated in a within-subjects study; children filled in the Perceived Restorativeness Scale-children (environmental preference included) and the Connectedness to Nature Scalechildren, and performed the Continuous Performance Test in three different conditions: 1-in the classroom after the practice of Mindful Silence; 2-in the school playground after the school break; 3-in an alpine wood after a walk. In addition to the self-report assessments and the measurement of attentional performance, the children’s physiological condition was assessed by measuring some basic physiological parameters. From results it emerges that though children’s connection to Nature doesn’t vary among conditions, they can discriminate among environments with different degree of restorativeness (assessments were made on setting characteristics and activities), and the perception of restorativeness keeps pace with the performance at the attention test and the preference evaluation. Results are in agreement with Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (1995) and the fascination/meditation hypothesis (Kaplan, 2001).

Svelare la biofilia nei bambini attraverso l’active silence training: un approccio sperimentale

Biophilia - the innate tendency of human beings to focus on and to affiliate with natural life emotionally occurs spontaneously in school children. In this study we hypothesized that the development of biophilia is fa168 cilitated by an active silence training (AST). In AST silent observation is used as a means to achieve self-knowledge, while games are used as away of evoking fascination, i.e. to help directed attention to rest and to be restored. Therefore an experimental protocol was set up with aim to assess how effective the AST would be in restoring the attention of 120 children of a primary school in Aosta (Italy). The results show that the experimental group’s performance on the attention test improved as a result of the AST, without affecting neither systolic nor diastolic blood pressure. Hence, AST seems to be a good way to restore children’s attentional capacity.

An Individual’s Connection to Nature Can Affect Perceived Restorativeness of Natural Environments. Some Observations about Biophilia

This study investigates the relationship between the level to which a person feels connected to Nature and that person’s ability to perceive the restorative value of a natural environment. We assume that perceived restorativeness may depend on an individual’s connection to Nature and this relationship may also vary with the biophilic quality of the environment, i.e., the functional and aesthetic value of the natural environment which presumably gave an evolutionary advantage to our species. To this end, the level of connection to Nature and the perceived restorativeness of the environment were assessed in individuals visiting three parks characterized by their high level of “naturalness” and high or low biophilic quality. The results show that the perceived level of restorativeness is associated with the sense of connection to Nature, as well as the biophilic quality of the environment: individuals with different degrees of connection to Nature seek settings with different degrees of restorativeness and biophilic quality. This means that perceived restorativeness can also depend on an individual’s “inclination” towards Nature.

When biophilic design meets restorative architecture: the Strambinello project

The present crisis in the complex relationship between Man and Nature offers an extraordinary context for experimentation also in the architectural field, where we must rethink the relationship between Man’s relational structures and his physical-spatial surroundings in terms of the material and non-material components. The multidisciplinary vision of the biophilic program examines the design of living spaces with reference to the physiological functions and the psychological, behavioral, emotional and cognitive development of the individual. Biophilic Design thus brings greater awareness of the concept of sustainability in architecture, which can then facilitate the regenerative features of human residential environments. This project presents an experimental case study of biophilic architecture that becomes a design variable for the physical and psychological well-being of the inhabitants according to certain characteristics that are known as regenerative factors by the attention restoration theory (ART). The case study, a single-family home that is being built in the municipality of Strambinello (Piedmont, Italy) is an example of a regenerative residential environment that respects the Man-Nature bond.