Neural codes of seeing architectural styles.

Images of iconic buildings, such as the CN Tower, instantly transport us to specific places, such as Toronto. Despite the substantial impact of architectural design on people's visual experience of built environments, we know little about its neural representation in the human brain. In the present study, we have found patterns of neural activity associated with specific architectural styles in several high-level visual brain regions, but not in primary visual cortex (V1).

Perceived Spaciousness and Preference in Sequential Experience.

Objective: We assessed the perceived spaciousness and preference for a destination space in relation to six attributes (size, lighting, window size, texture, wall mural, and amount of furniture) of it and of the space experienced before it.

Background: Studies have examined effects of these attributes but not for dynamic experience or preference.

Method: We created 24 virtual reality walks between each possible pair of two levels of each attribute.

Street characteristics preferred for transportation walking among older adults: a choice-based conjoint analysis with manipulated photographs.

Background: Knowledge about the relationships between micro-scale environmental factors and older adults' walking for transport is limited and inconsistent. This is probably due to methodological limitations, such as absence of an accurate neighborhood definition, lack of environmental heterogeneity, environmental co-variation, and recall bias. Furthermore, most previous studies are observational in nature.

Creating Cycling-Friendly Environments for Children: Which Micro-Scale Factors Are Most Important? An Experimental Study Using Manipulated Photographs.

Background: Increasing participation in transportation cycling represents a useful strategy for increasing children's physical activity levels. Knowledge on how to design environments to encourage adoption and maintenance of transportation cycling is limited and relies mainly on observational studies. The current study experimentally investigates the relative importance of micro-scale environmental factors for children's transportation cycling, as these micro-scale factors are easier to change within an existing neighborhood compared to macro-scale environmental factors (i.

Homeowner and homebuyer impressions of visitable features.

Background: Though visitable house features (32+″ wide doors; no-step or low slope entries; and a usable half- or full bathroom on the main floor) have benefits, many developers and builders oppose them because they believe homebuyers do not want them.

Objective: The present study sought to test the accuracy of developer and builder perceived barriers to including visitable features in new houses. Specifically, we tested the desirability of houses with and without such features to homeowners and homebuyers.

Does the Effect of Micro-Environmental Factors on a Street's Appeal for Adults' Bicycle Transport Vary across Different Macro-Environments? An Experimental Study.

Background: Characteristics of the physical environment can be classified into two broad categories: macro- ("raw" urban planning features influenced on a regional level) and micro- (features specifically within a streetscape influenced on a neighborhood level) environmental factors. In urban planning applications, it is more feasible to modify conditions at the neighborhood level than at the regional level. Yet for the promotion of bicycle transport we need to know whether relationships between micro-environmental factors and bicycle transport depend on different types of macro-environments.

Assessing cycling-friendly environments for children: are micro-environmental factors equally important across different street settings?

Background: As physical activity levels decrease as children age, sustainable and accessible forms of physical activity are needed from a young age. Transportation cycling is one such physical activity and has been associated with many benefits. The aims of the study were to identify whether manipulating micro-environmental factors (e.

Using manipulated photographs to identify features of streetscapes that may encourage older adults to walk for transport.

Experimental evidence of environmental features important for physical activity is challenging to procure in real world settings. The current study aimed to investigate the causal effects of environmental modifications on a photographed street's appeal for older adults' walking for transport. Secondly, we examined whether these effects differed according to gender, functional limitations, and current level of walking for transport.

The effect of changing micro-scale physical environmental factors on an environment's invitingness for transportation cycling in adults: an exploratory study using manipulated photographs.

Previous studies have shown convincing evidence for positive relationships between transportation cycling in adults and macro-scale physical environmental factors. In contrast, relationships are less consistent for more changeable, micro-scale environmental factors. The majority of existing studies used observational study designs, which cannot determine causality.

Pedestrian injuries due to mobile phone use in public places.

Research shows that pedestrians, similar to drivers, experience reduced situation awareness, distracted attention and unsafe behavior when talking or texting on their mobile phones. The present study centered on injuries related to mobile phone use among pedestrians. It used data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on injuries in hospital emergency rooms from 2004 through 2010.

Playground characteristics to encourage children to visit and play.

Background: The research sought to find the salient perceived characteristics of playgrounds for African-American children and their parents, and to test effects of changes in those characteristics on playground choice.

Methods: Thirty-one African-American children and their parents sorted 15 photographs of playgrounds for similarity. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling on the similarity scores and correlations between the resulting dimensions and judged characteristics of each playground revealed salient perceived characteristics.

Environmental factors influencing older adults' walking for transportation: a study using walk-along interviews.

Background: Current knowledge on the relationship between the physical environment and walking for transportation among older adults (≥ 65 years) is limited. Qualitative research can provide valuable information and inform further research. However, qualitative studies are scarce and fail to include neighborhood outings necessary to study participants' experiences and perceptions while interacting with and interpreting the local social and physical environment.

Impressions of psychotherapists' offices.

For counseling settings, research suggests that softness, personalization, and order might affect the experience and the perceived expertness, trustworthiness, and social attractiveness of the therapist. This article discusses exploratory studies on college students' perception of the counseling office environment and whether the likely client experience was associated with the softness/personalization and order of the office. As stimuli, the studies used 30 color photographs of psychotherapists' offices viewed from the client's perspective.

Assessing perceptions of environments for active living.

Background: Substantial research has been done on the relationship of physical environments to active living, much of it using observational measures of physical properties. Although this research is important, it produces an incomplete picture. Perceptions of environmental factors may affect physical activity.

Mobile telephones, distracted attention, and pedestrian safety.

Driver distraction is a major cause of traffic accidents, with mobile telephones as a key source of distraction. In two studies, we examined distraction of pedestrians associated with mobile phone use. The first had 60 participants walk along a prescribed route, with half of them conversing on a mobile phone, and the other half holding the phone awaiting a potential call, which never came.