| 1. |
- Hägerhäll, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Human physiological benefits of viewing nature: EEG responses to exact and statistical fractal patterns.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences. - 1090-0578. ; 19:1, s. 1-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Psychological and physiological benefits of viewing nature have been extensively studied for some time. More recently it has been suggested that some of these positive effects can be explained by nature's fractal properties. Virtually all studies on human responses to fractals have used stimuli that represent the specific form of fractal geometry found in nature, i.e. statistical fractals, as opposed to fractal patterns which repeat exactly at different scales. This raises the question of whether human responses like preference and relaxation are being driven by fractal geometry in general or by the specific form of fractal geometry found in nature. In this study we consider both types of fractals (statistical and exact) and morph one type into the other. Based on the Koch curve, nine visual stimuli were produced in which curves of three different fractal dimensions evolve gradually from an exact to a statistical fractal. The patterns were shown for one minute each to thirty-five subjects while qEEG was continuously recorded. The results showed that the responses to statistical and exact fractals differ, and that the natural form of the fractal is important for inducing alpha responses, an indicator of a wakefully relaxed state and internalized attention.
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| 2. |
- Hansson, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Measuring farmers' attitudes to animal welfare and health
- 2012
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Ingår i: British Food Journal. - : Emerald. - 0007-070X .- 1758-4108. ; 114, s. 840-852
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to develop a behavioural framework for developing a scale to measure farmers' attitudes to animal welfare and health and to take an explorative approach to initiating development of such a scale.Design/methodology/approachA literature review was used to develop the behavioural framework. Exploratory factor analysis was then used to initiate development of a measurement scale, based on a sample of 108 Swedish livestock farmers.FindingsBased on the framework developed, the authors' data suggest unidimensionality of farmers' attitudes to animal welfare and health; and that farmers perceive animal welfare as being about animal health and comfort in particular.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research should be devoted to this area to develop a more final measurement scale. This could be done by re‐evaluating the scale obtained in this paper in both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis settings. The behavioural framework proposed here provides a basis for such scale development and a more rigid framework for evaluating and comparing farmers' attitudes to animal welfare.Practical implicationsThe behavioural framework and scale development initiated in this paper can be used by policymakers and organizations responsible for quality assurance schemes to develop policy measures and education programmes to re‐train farmers' behaviour into a system that supports higher animal welfare and health standards.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper is that it develops and uses a behavioural framework based on psychological and psychometric theory to initiate development of a scale to measure farmers' attitudes to animal welfare and health.
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| 3. |
- Johansson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Wildlife and public perceptions of opportunities for psychological restoration in local natural settings
- 2024
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Ingår i: People and Nature. - : Wiley. - 2575-8314. ; 6:2, s. 800-817
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wildlife might be important to psychologically restorative values and disvalues of nature, as interactions with wildlife could trigger both positive and negative feelings. Research on positive experiences of human-wildlife interactions has largely involved participants who voluntarily sought out wildlife experiences or it has addressed encounters with non-threatening animals in urban green spaces. Less is known about the opportunities for psychological restoration in landscapes shared with mammals that are perceived to pose a threat to human activities and health. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the role of wildlife in public perceptions of the restorative potential and experience of psychological restoration in local natural settings. Twenty-eight participants (15 women, 13 men, 18-75 years) took part in focus group interviews subject to a reflexive thematic analysis. As an analytical framework, we used a theoretical model for how people appraise the relevance, implications, coping potential and norm congruence of human-wildlife interactions and how such appraisals may support or hinder the restoration experienced in local natural settings. Relevance appraisals revealed shifts in consideration of the presence of wildlife from an integrated part of the natural scenery (background) to a distinct figure (foreground). Implication appraisals revealed that wildlife encounters would hinder the experienced psychological restoration if the animal was appraised as dangerous, disgusting, causing a nuisance or destructive. Wildlife encounters would promote restoration if the animal displayed attractive traits, features or fascinating behaviour or movements, and if it opened engaging interaction situations. Coping strategies perceived as feasible to deal with negative implications of wildlife involved avoidance of the local natural setting, preparatory behaviour displayed before a visit and precautionary behaviour displayed during the visit. Important public health effects might be gained if wildlife policy and management explicitly consider what animals mean to the perceived restorative potential of local natural settings.Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Forekomst av vilt levande djur kan ha betydelse for manniskors mojlighet till mental aterhamtning i naturen eftersom djurlivet kan ge upphov till bade positiva och negativa kanslor. Tidigare forskning om positiva upplevelser av vilt har foretradesvis handlat om situationer dar manniskor medvetet har sokt sig till en plats for att se djur, fokuserat djurarter som vanligtvis inte betraktas som farliga for manniskor, eller varit begransade till smavilt i urbana gronomraden. Daremot saknas kunskap om mojligheter till mental aterhamtning i naturomraden med storre daggdjur som ocksa kan upplevas utgora ett hot mot manniskors aktiviteter och halsa. Den har studien bidrar till en nyanserad forstaelse av viltets betydelse for allmanhetens upplevda mojligheter till mental aterhamtning i lokala naturomraden. Vi intervjuade 28 deltagare (15 kvinnor, 13 man, 18-75 ar) i fokusgrupper. Intervjuerna analyserades med sk reflexiv tematisk analys. I analyserna utgick vi ifran en teoretisk modell for manniskors bedomning av relevans och konsekvenser av interaktioner mellan manniska och vilt samt tillgang till strategier for att hantera sadana interaktioner och samstammighet med normer i dessa situationer. Modellen beskriver ocksa hur bedomningar kan stodja eller hindra upplevelsen av mental aterhamtning. Deltagarnas bedomning av viltets relevans for mental aterhamtning varierade avseende om djuren betraktades som en integrerad eller en unik framtradande del av naturlandskapet. Bedomningen av konsekvenser visade att moten med vilt levande djur upplevdes hindra den mentala aterhamtningen om djuret ansags vara farligt eller ackligt, orsaka olagenhet eller forstora for manniskor. Moten med vilt upplevdes stodja aterhamtning om djuret ansags ha ett attraktivt utseende eller positiva egenskaper, fascinerande beteenden eller rorelsemonster, eller om djuret skapade sarskilt engagerande situationer. De strategier som deltagarna bedomde som mojliga och tillgangliga for att hantera negativa konsekvenser av vilt var undvikande av lokala naturomraden, forberedelser som vidtogs innan ett eventuellt besok i naturomradet och forsiktighetsatgarder under tiden deltagarna vistades i naturomradet. Det kan finnas positiva effekter for folkhalsan om viltpolicy och forvaltning explicit beaktar betydelsen av vilt for manniskors upplevda mojlighet till mental aterhamtning i lokala naturomraden. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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| 4. |
- Johansson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Urban space for children on the move
- 2020
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Ingår i: Transport and Children’s Wellbeing. - 9780128146941 - 9780128146958 ; , s. 217-235
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban landscapes, structures and design features are associated with travel mode choice and have implications for sustainable living environments. The particular role of the built environment for children’s independent active mobility has received increasing attention in research and practice. However, the complexity of the transactions between person and environment needs to be understood with special focus on children’s use and experiences of the outdoor spaces in a neighborhood. This chapter discusses children’s independent active mobility as an ongoing transaction with the surrounding environment, continuously shifting between transport and play. The chapter synthesizes research on children’s outdoor play and active travel from the fields of environmental psychology, urban planning and landscape architecture. Four theoretical concepts compatible with a comprehensive understanding of children’s mobility in urban open spaces are presented: place attachment, affordances, wayfinding and prospect-refuge. The concepts are elaborated from a child perspective to highlight dimensions in the planning, design and management of outdoor spaces that can support children’s independent active mobility.
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| 5. |
- Blennow, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change: Motivation for taking measure to adapt
- 2009
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Ingår i: Global Environmental Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-9495 .- 0959-3780. ; 19, s. 100-104
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We tested two consequences of a currently influential theory based on the notion of seeing adaptations to climate change as local adjustments to deal with changing conditions within the constraints of the broader economic-social-political arrangements. The notion leaves no explicit role for the strength of personal beliefs in climate change and adaptive capacity. The consequences were: (i) adaptive action to climate change taken by an individual who is exposed to and sensitive to climate change is not influenced to a considerable degree by their strength of belief in climate change and (ii) adaptive action to climate change taken by an individual who is exposed to and sensitive to climate change is not influenced to a considerable degree by their strength of belief in an adaptive capacity. Data from a 2004 questionnaire of 1950 Swedish private individual forest owners, who were assumed exposed to and sensitive to climate change, were used. Strength of belief in climate change and adaptive capacities were found to be crucial factors for explaining observed differences in adaptation among Swedish forest owners. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Ives, Christopher D., et al.
(författare)
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Human-nature connection : a multidisciplinary review
- 2017
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Ingår i: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 26-27, s. 106-113
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In sustainability science calls are increasing for humanity to (re-)connect with nature, yet no systematic synthesis of the empirical literature on human-nature connection (HNC) exists. We reviewed 475 publications on HNC and found that most research has concentrated on individuals at local scales, often leaving 'nature' undefined. Cluster analysis identified three subgroups of publications: first, HNC as mind, dominated by the use of psychometric scales, second, HNC as experience, characterised by observation and qualitative analysis; and third, HNC as place, emphasising place attachment and reserve visitation. To address the challenge of connecting humanity with nature, future HNC scholarship must pursue cross-fertilization of methods and approaches, extend research beyond individuals, local scales, and Western societies, and increase guidance for sustainability transformations.
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| 7. |
- Johansson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Controlled exposure reduces fear of brown bears
- 2019
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Ingår i: Human Dimensions of Wildlife. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1087-1209 .- 1533-158X. ; 24:4, s. 363-379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fear of large carnivores such as brown bears may restrict people’s outdoor activities regardless of experts’ estimated risk of attack. This research study empirically examined three exposure interventions in the form of guided walks intended to give people living in brown bear areas tools for coping with their fear. All interventions significantly reduced fear, decreased people’s perceived vulnerability, and increased their social trust in wildlife management authorities. The walk including an encounter with a radio-collared bear in a wild bear habitat resulted in the largest reduction in fear, followed by the walk in the wild bear habitat only and then the walk in a park with captive bears. The wild bear habitat walk was the intervention best suited for further development as it may be used in any area where bears occur and without affecting animal welfare.
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| 8. |
- Westman, Jessica, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Children's affective experience of every-day travel
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Transport Geography. - : Elsevier BV. - 0966-6923 .- 1873-1236. ; 29, s. 95-102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aims to evaluate if children’s affective experience of every-day travel varies depending on travel mode and destination of travel. More specifically, what are children’s reported valence (unpleasantness–pleasantness) and activation (deactivation–activation) while travelling to different destinations and does this experience have spill-over effects on how they perceive activities at the destination. 206 Children (101 girls) recorded their travels in a diary throughout a school week along with reports of travel mode, experience of every-day travel, activities on arrival, and the experiences of activities. Results showed that average valence and activation was significantly lower while travelling to school than travelling to other destinations. Degree of activation during a school day was significantly lower for those who had travelled by car than for those who had cycled to school. Girls experienced less activation than boys on their way to school and during a school day when they had travelled by car. It is concluded that children’s affective experiences differ depending on how they travel and where they go. Moreover, there is a difference between boys’ and girls’ experiences.
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| 9. |
- Jägerbrand, Annika, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Driving behaviour responses to a moose encounter, automatic speed camera, wildlife warning sign and radio message determined in a factorial simulator study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Accident Analysis and Prevention. - : Elsevier BV. - 0001-4575 .- 1879-2057. ; 86, s. 229-238
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a driving simulator study, driving behaviour responses (speed and deceleration) to encountering a moose, automatic speed camera, wildlife warning sign and radio message, with or without a wildlife fence and in dense forest or open landscape, were analysed. The study consisted of a factorial experiment that examined responses to factors singly and in combination over 9-km road stretches driven eight times by 25 participants (10 men, 15 women). The aims were to: determine the most effective animal–vehicle collision (AVC) countermeasures in reducing vehicle speed and test whether these are more effective in combination for reducing vehicle speed; identify the most effective countermeasures on encountering moose; and determine whether the driving responses to AVC countermeasures are affected by the presence of wildlife fences and landscape characteristics. The AVC countermeasures that proved most effective in reducing vehicle speed were a wildlife warning sign and radio message, while automatic speed cameras had a speed-increasing effect. There were no statistically significant interactions between different countermeasures and moose encounters. However, there was a tendency for a stronger speed-reducing effect from the radio message warning and from a combination of a radio message and wildlife warning sign in velocity profiles covering longer driving distances than the statistical tests. Encountering a moose during the drive had the overall strongest speed-reducing effect and gave the strongest deceleration, indicating that moose decoys or moose artwork might be useful as speed-reducing countermeasures. Furthermore, drivers reduced speed earlier on encountering a moose in open landscape and had lower velocity when driving past it. The presence of a wildlife fence on encountering the moose resulted in smaller deceleration.
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| 10. |
- Byström, Kristina
(författare)
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Djur och natur som stöd för psykologisk utveckling hos barn och ungdomar med autism : ett nytt och mer fritt sätt att utvecklas genom social interaktion
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Forskning visar att djur kan ge socialt och emotionellt stöd till barn och ungdomar med autism men få studier har undersökt husdjurens betydelse för barnens utveckling eller betydelsen av att inkludera natur och djur i en längre samspelsbehandling. Syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva och förklara på vilka sätt som natur och djur kan tillföra värden som underlättar för gruppens psykologiska utveckling. Den första artikeln är en fokusgruppstudie med syftet att undersöka betydelsen av husdjur för barn och ungdomar med autism sett från föräldrarnas perspektiv. Resultatet visade sammantaget att husdjur kan bidra med stöd till gruppens sociala utveckling men också till utveckling av beteenden och funktioner samt förbättra psykisk hälsa och livskvalité. Tre teman hittades: 1. Kvalitén på relationen med husdjuret. 2. Ökad interaktion med människor. 3. Optimera barnens funktioner och utveckling. Barnen och ungdomarnas intressen och aktiviteter med husdjuren var mer sociala än icke sociala och av en annan kvalité än de begränsade och repetitiva beteenden som barn med autism vanligtvis är engagerade i. Den andra artikeln är en diskussion med syftet att söka efter en teoretisk modell som fördjupar förståelsen av vilka mekanismer som kan ligga bakom positiva effekter av att involvera natur och djur i en utvecklingsstödjande längre samspelsbehandling. Metoden i artikeln är grundad teori. Data kommer från en behandlingsmodell (ett och ett halvt år, totalt nio barn), från miljöpsykologi och från utvecklingspsykologi, både typisk och atypisk som vid autism. Resultatet består av tre nyckelkategorier: 1. Minska stress och inge lugn och ro. 2. Väcka nyfikenhet och intresse. 3. Framkalla spontan uppmärksamhet. Dessa tre nyckelkategorier är relaterade till en underliggande kärnvariabel, vitalitetsformer, vilka beskrevs av Daniel Stern och som enligt honom har betydelse för att skapa globala upplevelseformer, dvs helhetsupplevelser. Här argumenteras för att vitalitetsformerna från natur och djur kan vara särskilt gynnsamma för att åstadkomma goda ögonblick av samspel mellan barnet och behandlare som befrämjar psykologisk utveckling. Utgångspunkten är hjärnans sätt att koda in många interna och externa händelser, baserade på rörelseperception. Avhandlingens resultat visar att natur och djur kan vara goda omständigheter för barn och ungdomar med autism att klara av att skapa mening av sina upplevelser i naturligt uppkomna situationer och ögonblick. Sådana ögonblick har också visat sig kunna inbegripa socialt engagerat samspel och kommunikation med andra människor där stödet till barnet kan ges direkt när något händer. Framtida forskning får utvisa om denna typ av fördjupade och tydliga upplevelser i samband med natur och djur kan bilda en ny och kompletterande behandlingsväg för barn med autism och so m optimerar villkoren för den psykologiska Djur och natur som stöd för psykologisk utveckling hos barn och ungdomar med autism. Ett nytt och mer fritt sätt att utvecklas genom social interaktion Sammanfattning utvecklingen genom socialt samspel. Om så är fallet ses också möjligheten för att psykisk hälsa och livskvalité förbättras.
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