不同景觀類型對受測者生心理反應影響之跨文化研究

Abstract

許多研究均證實人們喜歡自然環境勝過都市環境，且自然環境可以帶給人許多健康的效益，如：注意力恢復、降低壓力及讓人感到舒適等。然而受到不同文化成長背景的影響，人們對自然環境之熟悉程度不盡相同，也會對不同自然環境的喜好也有所差異。因此本研究目的為了解自然景觀對人們的生理與心理效益，是否會因為文化差異而有所不同，以及不同文化背景之受測者，在不同景觀類型下產生的生理與心理效益是否受到熟悉度所影響。 本研究依據過去研究理論中指出人類天性即偏好的自然環境類型挑選景觀圖片，並以台灣及美國分別代表地理及文化歷史差異較大的東方與西方文化為研究對象。心理效益測量項目包括偏好、注意力恢復力及安全度；生理效益則利用生理回饋儀器，記錄受測者觀看景觀照片時之生理反應，包括肌電值及心跳；除此之外，也由受測者之口頭描述來輔助結果之討論。本研究共收集179份樣本，分別為台灣受測者101人；美國受測者77人。研究結果顯示，台灣與美國受測者對自然環境類型的環境偏好排序相同，但在觀看自然景觀時，心理感受之環境偏好、安全度與注意力恢復力評值及肌電值變化量皆呈顯著差異。此外，受測者對自然環境的熟悉度亦影響受測者之偏好、安全度及注意力恢復力，並且為正向相關。研究也發現生理反應均未受到熟悉度的影響，在肌電值變化量的差異主要來自不同文化的因素。 從跨文化比較的討論中，本研究發現不同文化背景之受測者其對環境的熟悉度不同為影響人們在自然環境中獲得心理效益的重要因素。因此，若能增加受測者對自然環境的熟悉程度，亦可增加接觸自然環境時的偏好、注意力恢復力及安全度感受。研究結果在應用層面上，建議台灣民眾可藉由戶外休閒活動的規劃安排，以提升接觸自然環境或觀看自然景觀時之健康效益。

People prefer natural environments more than built urban ones, and benefit psychologically and physiologically from contact with nature. Although a human preference for natural settings is well-established across multiple cultures, it is also true that there are variations in landscape preferences between cultures. This variation is often evident as a function of the familiarity that individuals have with particular settings. Thus, we wondered about the extent to which individuals from two different cultures (Taiwan and the United States) would respond to landscape scenes that they were more or less familiar. We measured our 178 participant’s psychological responses including preference, sense of safety and attention restoration, and their physiological responses including the electrical activity on their forehead through electromyogram (EMG) and their heart rates (HR). We used photographic images of different natural landscape types, which were classified in three groups: 1) in the forest, 2) edge of forest, and 3) outside of forest. Two photographs were represented for each of the three landscape groups. We also collected participants’ oral descriptions of their reactions to these photographs. The findings revealed similarities in how Taiwanese (N=101) and Americans (N=77) ranked preferences for nature. Both groups prefer forest setting the most, meadow the second, edge the last. However, there were also significant psychological (preference, sense of safety, attention restoration) and physiological (EMG) differences between these two groups of participants. In addition, this study found that familiarity can be an important factor in cross-cultural psychological responses, especially landscape preferences. Specifically, people more familiar with the natural environment may obtain greater psychological benefits involving preference, safety and attention restoration, while experiencing these environments. Results of this study can be use as a reference for planning outdoor recreation activities that will allow people to obtain greater benefits from nature.