A person’s physical environment has a direct influence on his or her behavior. Individuals interpret the interaction between the physical environment and behavior in a multitude of ways. For example, built environments are man-made environments and these environments can be structured to promote health. Research has shown that people tend to favor elements of the natural environment; therefore, it is important to include elements such as sunlight, water features, and plants when building a health-promoting environment. Stimulation, control, and behavior-setting theories attempt to provide additional context to the relationship between the physical environment and human behavior.

Tasks:

Using your textbook, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, explore these concepts and respond to the following:

• Choose a public place to go and observe the environment for thirty minutes. Be sure to consider all the built environment features and key concepts (such as accessibility, activity, adaptability, comfort, and control) used to describe the relationship between the physical environment and behavior. Share your observations.
• Observe the individual or group responses to the observed environment. Share your observations.
• Using a minimum of five of the key concepts, discuss how your behavior was affected by the observed physical environment. For example, was the environment comfortable and accessible?
• Discuss how understanding your behavior may influence how you interact with others.