Environmental Aesthetic Value Influences the Intention for Moral Behavior: Changes in Behavioral Moral Judgment

How do weather conditions and environmental characteristics influence aesthetic preferences of freshwater environments?

Freshwater (inland) blue space environments provide a range of public health benefits to visitors. However, health related exposure outcomes are dynamic and can vary depending on several factors, including the environmental characteristics of freshwater environments and their surroundings. Developing and managing inland blue spaces to promote health and wellbeing therefore requires an understanding of whether specific freshwater attributes, and prevailing weather conditions, enhance or devalue landscape aesthetics. The aim of this study was to utilise a mixed-methods research approach to investigate aesthetic preferences of inland blue spaces. A three-phase data collection method was adopted involving (i) analysis of a national-scale landscape image dataset; in combination with (ii) a national-scale online survey; and (iii) a series of in-person focus groups. We found environmental characteristics associated with the waterbody itself, as well as the characteristics of the nearby green space, to have a significant impact on the overall aesthetic appeal of inland blue spaces. Strong preference was demonstrated for inland blue spaces perceived to be of a high environmental quality and which have a natural, rather than human-modified, appearance. The findings highlight the need to conserve the quality of both the waterbody and waterside environment to encourage frequent recreational use and maintain the beneficial public health outcomes associated with inland blue spaces.

Landscape Aesthetic Value of Waterfront Green Space Based on Space-Psychology-Behavior Dimension: A Case Study along Qiantang River (Hangzhou Section)

As an important part of urban green infrastructure, the landscape effect of the urban waterfront green space varies, and sometimes, the green space with an excellent landscape aesthetic value fails to serve the needs of most citizens. This seriously affects the construction of a green ecological civilization and the implementation of the concept of "common prosperity" in China. Based on multi-source data, this study took the Qiantang River Basin as an example, selected 12 representative waterfront green spaces along the river as the research objects, and used qualitative and quantitative analysis methods to determine the landscape aesthetic value of the research area from the different dimensions of space, psychology, and physiology. We examined the relationship between each dimension so as to objectively and comprehensively reflect the landscape value characteristics of the waterfront green space in the study area and provide a reasonable theoretical framework and practical development path for future urban waterfront green space landscape design. We obtained the following results: (1) The results of the spatial dimension research indicated that the spatial value index of the waterfront green space in the study area was three-dimensional space > vertical space > horizontal space, and the overall spatial value was low; Qianjiang Ecological Park obtained the highest value (0.5473), and Urban Balcony Park obtained the lowest value (0.4619). (2) The results of the psychological dimension indicated that people's perceptions of the waterfront green space in the study area were relatively weak, mainly focusing on visual perception, but the waterfront green space with a relative emotional value greater than one accounted for 75%, and the overall recognition of the landscape was high. (3) The results of the behavioral dimension showed that the overall heat of the waterfront green space in the study area was insufficient (1.3719-7.1583), which was mainly concentrated in low-heat levels, and the population density was unevenly distributed (0.0014-0.0663), which was mainly concentrated in the medium-density level. The main purpose of users was to visit, and they stayed an average of 1.5 h. (4) The results of the coupling coordination analysis of the spatial-psychological-behavioral dimensions showed that the landscape value of the waterfront green space in the study area presented a form of 'high coupling degree and low coordination degree'.

The Construction of Image Reference Points and Text Appeals Information Tailoring in Promoting Diners' Public Environment Maintenance Behavior Intention

The environmental maintenance of public dining spaces significantly impacts urban construction's sustainable and healthy development. This paper studied the influence of image-text information tailoring relationships on behavioral intentions to promote public dining space environment maintenance. We used a two-factor between-subject experimental design, two (image reference points: self vs. others) × two (text appeals: feasibility vs. desirability). We also examined the mediating roles of environmental maintenance attitudes and environmental responsibility perceptions as regards pro-environmental behavioral intentions. The research results showed the following: (1) Among the four image-text information construction methods, the other's image reference point with the desirability text appeal promotes the diners' pro-environmental behavioral intention with optimal effectiveness; and (2) Environmental maintenance attitudes and environmental responsibility perceptions play mediating roles in promoting diners' intention to maintain environmental behavior in the image-text combined information presentation. Environmental responsibility perceptions cannot be mediated alone and must be progressively mediated with environmental maintenance attitudes.

Influence of Environmental Aesthetic Value and Anticipated Emotion on Pro-Environmental Behavior: An ERP Study

Perceptual cues act as signals in the aesthetic value environment, which promote emotion regulation toward pro-environment behavior. This type of perception-emotion-behavior reactivity forms the core of human altruism. However, differences in pro-environmental behavior may result from variation across high-aesthetic-value (HAV) and low-aesthetic-value (LAV) environments. This study investigated the neural mechanisms underlying interaction effects between environmental context and emotion regulation on pro-environmental behavior by integrating behavioral and temporal dynamics of decision-making information processing with event-related potential (ERP) technique measures. The results indicated that changing anticipated emotions changes pro-environmental behavior. Regarding changing aesthetic value environments, while modulating emotion regulation, significant differences were found in brain regions and mean amplitudes of N1, P2, N2, and late positive potential (LPP) components, which anticipated emotion. The findings suggest that environmental aesthetic value and emotion regulation impact pro-environmental behavior.

Spacious Environments Make Us Tolerant-The Role of Emotion and Metaphor

The physical environment plays an important role in moral cognition. Previous research has demonstrated that the physical environment affects individual moral judgment. Investigators have argued that the environment influences moral judgment through emotion and cognition, such as during metaphor processing. Following the intensification of urbanization and increases in population size, the phenomenon of a narrow environment has become more common. However, the relation between environmental spaciousness and moral judgment has not been thoroughly examined. We examined the effect of environmental spaciousness (spaciousness vs. narrowness) on moral judgments in Experiment 1 and Experiment 2. Results showed that participants report a higher rating score of moral judgment in more spacious environments compared with narrow environments. We further explored the roles of emotion and metaphor in the relation between environmental spaciousness and moral judgments. We found support for a partial mediation effect of emotion in the relationship between environmental spaciousness and moral judgment. The results also supported an association between the concept of spaciousness and tolerant cognition. Spacious environments may elicit positive emotions and more tolerant cognition, which in turn influences moral judgment. These results provide new evidence for the influence of the environment on moral judgments, and more attention may be warranted to incorporate this relationship in environmental design.