Is there a psychologist in the building?
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage below.
— CHRISTIAN JARRETT reports on psychology’s place in new architectural development. —
A. The
space around us affects us profoundly – rebuilding of one south London
school as a striking emotionally, behaviourally, cognitively. In Britain
that example of how building design can affect human space is changing
at a pace not seen for a generation. behaviour positively. Before its
redesign, it was Surely psychology has something to say about all ranked
as the worst school in the area – now it is this change. But is anyone
listening? ‘There is a huge recognised as one of the country’s twenty
most amount of psychology research that is relevant, but improved
schools. At the moment we’re talking to ourselves,’says Chris Spencer,
professor of environmental psychology at the University of Sheffield.
Spencer recalls a recent talk he gave in which he called on fellow
researchers to make a greater effort to communicate their findings to
architects and planners. ‘I was amazed at the response of many of the
senior researchers, who would say: “I’m doing my research for pure
science, the industry can take it or leave it”. But there are models of
how to apply environmental psychology to real problems, if you know
where to look Professor Frances Kuo is an example.
B.
Kuo’s website provides pictures and plain English ” The collaborative
project currently summaries of research conducted by her Human stands as
a one-off experiment. ” Among these is trainee architects will now go
away with some a study using police records that found inner-city
surrounded by more vegetation suffered 52 per cent fewer crimes than
apartment blocks with little or no greenery. Frances Kuo and her
co-researcher William Sullivan believe that greenery reduces crime – so
long as visibility is preserved – because it reduces aggression, brings
local residents together outdoors, and the conspicuous presence of
people deters criminals.
C. ‘Environmental
psychologists are increasingly in demand,’ says David Uzzell, professor
of environmental psychology. ‘We’re asked to contribute to the planning,
design and management of many different environments, ranging from
neighbourhoods, offices, schools, health, transport, traffic and leisure
environments for the purpose of improving quality of life and creating a
better people-environment fit.’ Uzzell points to the rebuilding of one
south London school as a striking example of how building design can
affect human behaviour positively. Before its redesign, it was ranked as
the worst school in the area – now it is recognised as one of the
country’s twenty most improved schools.
D.
Uzzell has been involved in a pioneering project between MSc students in
England and Scotland. Architecture students in Scotland acted as
designers while environmental psychology students in England acted as
consultants, as together they worked on a community project in a
run-down area of Glasgow. The psychology students encouraged the
architecture students to think about who their client group was, to
consider issues of crowding and social cohesion, and they introduced
them to psychological methodologies, for example observation and
interviewing local residents about their needs.’ The collaborative
project currently stands as a one-off experiment. ‘Hopefully these
trainee architects will now go away with some understanding of the
psychological issues involved in design and will take into account
people’s needs,’ says Uzzell.
E. Hilary Barker, a
recent graduate in psychology, now works for a design consultancy.
She’s part of a four- person research team that contributes to the
overall work of the company in helping clients use their office space
more productively. Her team all have backgrounds in psychology or social
science, but the rest of the firm consists mainly of architects and
interior designers. ‘What I do is pretty rare to be honest,’ Barker
says. ‘I feel very privileged to be able to use my degree in such a
way.’ Barker explains that the team carries out observational studies on
behalf of companies, to identify exactly how occupants are using their
building. The companies are often surprised by the findings, for example
that staff use meeting rooms for quiet, individual work.
F. One
area where the findings from environment- behaviour research have
certainly influenced building is in hospital design. The government has a
checklist of criteria that must be met in the design of new hospitals,
and these are derived largely from the work of the behavioural scientist
Professor Roger Ulrich,’ Chris Spencer says. Ulrich’s work has shown,
for example, how the view from a patient’s window can affect their
recovery. Even a hospital’s layout can impact on people’s health,
according to Dr John Zeisel. ‘If people get lost in hospitals, they get
stressed, which lowers their immune system and means their medication
works less well. You might think that way-finding round the hospital is
the responsibility of the person who puts all the signs up, but the
truth is that the basic layout of a building is what helps people find
their way around,’ he says.
G. Zeisel also
points to the need for a better balance between private and shared rooms
in hospitals. ‘Falls are reduced and fewer medication errors occur’ in
private rooms, he says. There’s also research showing how Important it
is that patients have access to the outdoors and that gardens in
hospitals are a major contributor to well-being. However, more
generally, Zeisel shares Chris Spencer’s concerns that the lessons from
environmental psychology research are not getting through. ’There is
certainly a gap between what we in social science know and the world of
designers and architects,’ says Zeisel. He believes that most
industries, from sports to film- making, have now recognised the
importance of an evidence-based approach, and that the building trade
needs to formulate itself more in that vein, and to recognise that there
is relevant research out there. ‘It would be outrageous, silly, to go
ahead with huge building projects without learning the lessons from the
new towns established between 30 and 40 years ago,’ he warns.
Questions 1-7:
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs. A-G. Choose the correct heading for A-G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, h-x, in boxes 1-7on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. A comparison between similar buildings
ii. The negative reaction of local residents
iii. An unusual job for a psychologist
iv. A type of building benefiting from prescribed guidelines
v. The need for government action
vi. A failure to use available information in practical ways
vii. Academics with an unhelpful attitude
viii. A refusal by architects to accept criticism
ix. A unique co-operative scheme
x. The expanding scope of environmental psychology
1) Paragraph A
2) Paragraph B
3) Paragraph C
4) Paragraph D
5) Paragraph E
6) Paragraph F
7) Paragraph G
Questions 7-8:
Choose TWO letters, A-E
Write the correct letters in boxes 7 and 8 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following benefits are said to arise from the use of environmental psychology when planning buildings?
A. better relationships between staff
B. improved educational performance
C. reduction of environmental pollution
D. fewer mistakes made by medical staff E easier detection of crime
Questions 9-10:
Choose TWO letters, A-E
Write the correct letters in boxes 9 and 10 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following research methods are mentioned in the passage?
A. the use of existing data relating to a geographical area
B. measuring the space given to a variety of activities
C. watching what people do in different parts of a building
D. analyzing decisions made during the planning of a building
E. observing patients’ reactions to each other
Questions 11-12:
Complete the sentences below
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 11 and 12 on your answer sheet.
11) The students from England suggested that the Scottish students should identify their ……………….
12) John Zeisel believes that if the of a building is clear, patient outcomes will improve ………………….
Answers
1) vii
2) i
3) x
4) ix
5) iii
6) iv
7) vi
8) B
9) D
10) A
11) C
12) client group
13) (basic) layout