| Summary: | 博士 === 中國文化大學 === 建築及都市設計學系 === 107 === This study was the first to adopt the environment semantics diagram proposed by Shigenobu Kobayashi (1994) to explore the psychological effects of visual landscape on perception. The results indicated that human perceptions aligned with landscape (including tree forms). This reconfirmed the importance of landscape classification and tree forms to visual and psychological effects. Four pairs of adjectives, vivid/boring, active/listlessly, graceful/ludicrous, and barbaric/romantic, were determined to be the most prominent factors affecting the psychological perception of landscape. Specifically, landscape types or tree forms that were vivid, active, graceful, and romantic were highly preferred by study participants, who also enjoyed landscape types or tree forms that exhibited a sense of warmth and softness. Accordingly, vividness, activity, gracefulness, romanticism, warmth, and softness were adopted as indicators to evaluate preferences for landscape types or tree forms.
Participants of two genders demonstrated similar psychological perceptions regarding landscape types, and their perceptions and preferences for landscape types differed nonsignificantly. The participants of two genders also exhibited consistent preference toward different tree forms. Their emotional experiences of most tree forms either differed nonsignificantly, or differed significantly only in the degree of reaction but remained consistent in regard to their preferences. Nevertheless, comparing the psychological experiences of the two genders revealed that greater differences were observed in tree forms than in landscape types. Therefore, the application of tree forms should not overlook gender-related factors.
The difference in professional training produced slightly different psychological perceptions regarding landscape. This difference was observed even among participants from the domains of urban administration, architecture, and landscape design, despite these domains all being related to environmental design. This indicated the effect of education on perceptions and cognitions. Therefore, the difference in the psychological perception of landscape between individuals from Taiwan and Mainland China can probably be attributed to the two regions’ difference in landscape education and cultural background.
Regarding physiological effects, this study examined six tree forms observed from a close distance and revealed nonsignificant differences in the electroencephalographical indices of participants viewing these tree forms. However, a short visual contact (10 seconds) with the umbrella-shaped tree elicited a stronger emotion compared with other tree forms. Heart rate variability analysis showed that the crown-shaped tree form caused excitement in the participants, whereas the tower-shaped tree form caused them to relax. This indicated that different tree forms evoked different physiological reactions. Comparing with the psychological effects, the participants noted that the umbrella-shaped tree elicited a sense of loveliness, vividness, activity, and irritation, which were consistent with their electroencephalographical responses. Analyzing the heart rate variability of the participants showed that the crown-shaped tree evoked an excited emotion, which was consistent with their psychological reaction, causing them to experience a sense of vividness and activeness. Physiological analysis revealed that most of the tree forms caused the participants to demonstrate a pacified reaction, in particular the tower-shaped and elliptical tree forms, which evoked in the participants an emotional experience of feeling dull, solemn, or listlessly. This indicated that the different tree forms exerted a consistent physiological and psychological effect on the viewers.
The results of this study can serve a reference for environmental and landscape design. For example, a community mainly resided by older adults requires an amiable environment that can also evoke a sense of activity and vividness. Therefore, such a community can plant oval and umbrella-shaped trees. A sports ground requires an active, irritant environment; hence, umbrella-shaped and conical trees can be planted. A hospital requires a peaceful environment that need also evoke an active sense; hence, it can plant round, oval and crown-shaped tree. Palm, tower-shaped and elliptical trees should be applied with caution because they can elicit a sense of dull and listlessness.
This study employed pairs of adjectives with opposite semantic implications to directly measure people’s emotional experiences regarding different tree forms and obtain results differing from previous studies, which have mostly classified adjectives and attempted to use generalized adjectives to describe such experiences. Using generalized adjectives can overlook the differences between emotional experiences. The results of this study verified that each tree form was associated with multiple emotional experiences, and these experiences changed with the viewing distance. Therefore, tree forms must be applied with caution when creating environmental designs.
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