Ross J. Loomis

Aesthetic, Affective, and Cognitive Effects of Noise on Natural Landscape Assessment

Research has shown that helicopter noise from tourist flights is very common in some national parks and wilderness areas . At Grand Canyon National Park , air craft noise has been found to be as high as 76 dB (A) with as many as 43 noise events in a 20-minute period . The present study examined the influence of 40 dB (A) or 80 dB (A) helicopter noise on assessment of a popular Grand Canyon vista in a laboratory simulation. Participants (44 female and 36 male undergraduates) viewed 68 slides of scenic vistas and assessed them on naturalness, preference, and scenic beauty and evaluated dimensions of freedom, annoyance, solitude, and tranquility. Compared to a control condition of background natural sounds (e.g.,birds, brooks), noise conditions negatively impacted all dependent measures. Although the effects were most pronounced at the 80-dB level, even the 40-dB helicopter noise negatively impacted all dependent variables. Results suggest that helicopter noise interferes with the quality of the visitor expe...

The learning benefits of leisure.

Recreation planners, managers, and researchers have given little attention to the learning benefits of leisure. Learning, education, and protecting the environment are high priority concerns for th...

Visibility and Natural Quiet in National Parks and Wilderness Areas Psychological Considerations

For over a century, authorities have recognized cultural and psychological benefits of preserving national parks and wilderness areas. Yet, with increasesin visitation and mechanized travel, air and noise pollution are intruding moreand more into preserved natural areas. Psychological research shows that humans can detect very lowlevels of these pollutants in natural and laboratory settings, that air and noise pollution detract from the enjoyment of the visitor experience, and that people place a high value on naturally quiet, pollution-free settings. This article discusses how psychological research is essential for a more complete understanding of the value and the influence of both visibility and quiet surroundings with a focus on applied, field-based research in national parks and wilderness areas. The article concludes with recommendations for future directions in research in these areas and argues that implications of psychological research results should be addressed in the natural resource policy-making process.

Effects of Heat, Social Facilitation, Sex Differences, and Task Difficulty on Reaction Time:

Paid volunteers (64 males, 64 females) performed either an easy or a complex reaction time task, either alone or in pairs (coaction), while exposed to ambient temperatures of either 22°C or 37°C. Reaction time was faster for males than for females, faster for the easy than for the complex task, and faster for coacting than for individually acting subjects. Heat increased reaction time, though its effect was statistically weak. All of these factors were essentially additive, with task difficulty having the strongest effect. Regression analysis suggested that arousal, as measured by systolic blood pressure, could account for the effects of coaction, sex differences, and heat.

Preferences for Recreational Environments: Theoretical Considerations and a Comparison of Models

Abstract Environments were conceptualized as providing a context within which valued psychological attributes could be experienced. Environmental preferences under this general theory were defined to be a function of evaluative and cognitive assessments of an environments psychological attributes. Since previous research was unclear as to the exact nature and validity of the evaluative assessments, four models of environmental preferences were investigated. The models differed in their inclusion or exclusion of evaluative assessments. Data were collected to implement and compare the four models using survey methodology. The model that distinguished between rewarding and costly psychological attributes was found to be most useful in explaining environmental preferences. The remaining three models were less comprehensive in their explanation of preferences. Finally, the reward‐cost distinction was discussed as being important in the understanding of environmental quality.

Assessment of visual recall and recognition learning in a museum environment

Subjects were tested for visual learning of objects in a small museum immediately following either total or limited exposure to the museum environment. Both recall and recognition memory results were better in the limited than in the total exposure condition. Attention time to exhibits correlated positively with recall but showed no relationships with the recognition measure. Findings were discussed in relation to early field research on museum visitor attention patterns.

The motive for sensory pleasure: enjoyment of nature and its representation in painting, music, and literature.

Eight studies assessed the motive for sensory pleasure (MSP) involving a general disposition to enjoy and pursue pleasant nature-related experiences and avoid unpleasant nature-related experiences. The stated enjoyment of pleasant sights, smells, sounds, and tactile sensations formed a unitary construct that was distinct from sensation seeking, novelty preference, and need for cognition. MSP was found to be related to (a) enjoyment of pleasant nature scenes and music of high but not low clarity; (b) enjoyment of writings that portrayed highly detailed nature scenes; (c) enjoyment of pleasantly themed paintings and dislike of unpleasant paintings, as distinct from findings with Openness to Experience; (d) choice of pleasant nature scenes over exciting or intellectually stimulating scenes; (e) view duration and memory of artistically rendered quilts; (f) interest in detailed information about nature scenes; and (g) frequency of sensory-type suggestions for improvement of a museum exhibit.

Impact of Impaired Visibility on Visitor Enjoyment of the Grand Canyon A Test of an Ordered Logit Utility Model

An ordered logit probability model of the impact of visibility impairment on visitor enjoyment of the Grand Canyon was examined. Ninety male and female undergraduates rank ordered the six alternatives of a stimulus set. Each alternative consisted of one of three levels of visibility at each of three vistas, a driving time to the vistas, and a waiting time to get into an archaeological site. Results indicated that a wide range of driving times (0-2.5 hours) and waiting times (0-1 hour) yielded a significant coefficient for each of the five attributes in the alternatives. Examination of trade-off ratios indicated that subjects were willing to spend about an hour more in driving time or half an hour more in waiting time for a one-unit increase in visibility of the San Francisco Peaks. Differential vista sensitivities to changes in visibility were also demonstrated. Additional questions to be explored with the model are discussed.

Visitor Self-Report Behavior Mapping as a Tool for Recording Exhibition Circulation

ABSTRACT The evaluation of visitor flow within a museum or exhibition has been a topic of interest for decades with several research approaches taken over the years. Direct observation or visitor tracking during museum occupancy is the most popular technique, but it generally requires substantial amounts of time and financial resources. An alternative approach to direct observation—visitor self-mapping—is presented using data obtained from 2 short-term, small-budget evaluations of a world-class collection museum. Results show that self-mapping provides usable data with more than 90% of maps having tracking data for the entire museum. Maps varied in the amount of detail, but more than 60% of visitors provided details beyond what was required. In Study 1, movement patterns, sweep rate indices, and timing data suggest that the mapping data accurately reflected the visitor experience. Study 2 directly paired the self-mapping method used in Study 1 with unobtrusive behavioral observations to address the reliability and validity of the new approach. A discussion compares the relative costs and benefits of the new approach with more conventional direct observation techniques and provides directions for future research.

Recognition of homogeneous and heterogeneous pictures as a function of viewing context

Although recognition memory for pictorial stimuli has been explored using either homogeneous or heterogeneous picture sets, apparently no single study has combined these stimuli and subsequently tested recognition for both types of stimuli. Subjects in two experiments were administered one of three picture sets of 100 slides. Each set consisted of homogeneous and hetero geneous slides that differed only in the ratio of homogeneous to heterogeneous stimuli: 80:20, 50:50, or 20:80. A subject’s recognition memory was then examined for both types of slides. Overall recognition was high for the heterogeneous stimuli but low for the homogeneous test slides. In a signal detection analysis, the picture set involving the largest proportion of heterogeneous stimuli, 20:80, yielded the lowest recognition sensitivity to the heterogeneous stimuli. This interaction of viewing-set composition and type of test stimuli was discussed in relation to picture recognition memory research employing either homogeneous or heterogeneous stimuli.