gary w. evans

The restorative benefits of nature on children's cognition suggest the potential for nature exposure to further enhance the impacts of instruction on academic achievement. However, prior research has focused primarily on examining main effects of greenspace on academic performance, and have seldom examined interactions (i.e., moderation) between greenspace and other school variables on academic performance. We examined the statistical interaction of school greenspace (based on 1 m by 1 m land-use classification) and a standard literacy enrichment program on reading improvement over a one-year period for a large sample of ethnic minority (95%) elementary school children (n = 6080, k-6th grade, estimated mean age = 7.9 years) attending predominantly low-income schools (n = 85) throughout the state of California. Our analyses employed multi-level modeling to account for random effects associated …

Bruce McEwen: Colleagues' tribute. - Abstract - Europe PMC Sign in | Create an account https://orcid.org Europe PMC Menu About Tools Developers Help Contact us Helpdesk Feedback Twitter Blog Tech blog Developer Forum Europe PMC plus Search life-sciences literature (41,803,125 articles, preprints and more) Search Advanced search Feedback This website requires cookies, and the limited processing of your personal data in order to function. By using the site you are agreeing to this as outlined in our privacy notice and cookie policy. Abstract Full text Bruce McEwen: Colleagues' tribute. Evans GW 1 , Seeman TE 2 Author information Affiliations 1 author 1. College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, United States. 1 author 2. David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, United States. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 31 Jan 2023, :106047 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.…

One of the biggest global challenges is dealing with the serious environmental problems that threaten the present and the future of life on Earth. There is a growing awareness of the detrimental effects human behaviour has on the environment (Evans, 2019; Steffen et al., 2015). Paradoxically, human behaviour not only compromises environment quality, but it also ultimately jeopardizes people’s health, especially among children (Watts et al., 2019). Although technological developments can help to ameliorate the burden we put on the planet, there is no purely technical solution to the current ecological crisis. Interventions to address environmental challenges need to promote changes in personal and collective ecological attitudes and behaviours. Environmental attitudes are “concern for the environment or caring about environmental issues”(Gifford & Sussman, 2012, p. 92), and pro-environmental behaviours refer to actions that contribute to the sustainability of nature (Schultz & Kaiser, 2012). We know little about the childhood origins and development of pro-environmentalism (ie, attitudes and behaviours in favour of the environment). Children are today’s agents of change, who can decide to engage in pro-environmental behaviours (Pickering, Schoen, Botta, & Fazio, 2020) and who can influence others to do the same (Wallis & Loy, 2021). Moreover, they will be the ones grappling with environmental problems in the near future, and children are amongst the most frequent targets of environmental education programmes. Research on the origins of children’s ecological behaviours began about three decades ago (Kellert, 1985) and has …

The built environment impacts multiple components of child health and well-being through direct impacts on the child and through impacts on family interactions and processes. We analyze key components of the physical environments that children and significant others (caregivers, siblings, peers) occupy (e.g., home, parks, other recreation spaces, schools, work). In doing so, we examine what is known and what is not yet fully understood regarding the impacts of the built environment specifically, and the physical environment more broadly, on family interactions. These relations can be both direct, where the influence is on interactions directly involving the child, and indirect, where the physical environment has consequences for significant others which, in turn, affects their interactions with the child. We also examine indirect impacts on the target child through the disruption of family routines, rituals, and other forms …

The cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with air pollution exposure may have far-reaching negative effects on children’s scholastic achievement. Moreover, air pollution may be conditioning the success of educational investments that support students who face greatest levels of societal adversity. This study examined the direct main effects of cumulative neurotoxicological exposure on annual reading improvement. We also tested the statistical interaction (i.e., moderation) of neurotoxicological exposure and academic intervention sessions on annual reading improvement for a large sample of ethnic minority (95%) elementary school children (n = 6080, k-6th grade) enrolled in a standard literacy enrichment program. These children were all behind grade level in reading and attended predominantly low-income schools (n = 85) in urban settings across the state of California. Multi-level modeling assessments …

Forest bathing is based upon a Japanese practice known as Shinrin–Yoku and is a nature-based therapy involving mindful walks through ancient woodland to reduce stress and anxiety. One proposed mechanism behind the effectiveness of Forest bathing is based on the potential mental and physical health benefits of the natural volatile organic compounds (NVOCs) that fill the forest understory. Surprisingly little is known about the concentrations and diversity of plant NVOCs in ambient air particularly in the UK and this study aims to increase that knowledge. Air samples were collected in July 2022 in a UK forest and compared with samples from a walled garden environment. The samples were collected over a 2 h time period and analysed using GC-MS and showed clear differences in the chemical composition of the air. This study revealed NVOCs including limonene, carvone, terpenes, terpenoids and sesquiterpenoids were present within a UK forest but were either not present or present at little to low levels in the control setting of a walled garden. This study also found that the typical 2 h duration of a Forest bathing session was a long enough sampling period to detect these NVOCs, indicating that Forest bathers could benefit from exposure to NVOCs.

This chapter first summarizes how the consequences of global climate change (GCC) can harm young people's well-being through physical health impacts and awareness of GCC. We then outline how youth may cope with GCC by denying the problem, distancing themselves from it, or taking individual actions. However, the coping strategy shown to have the best mental well-being outcomes relates to collective actions and agency. Next, an examination of school-based GCC interventions reveals that engaging, participatory approaches may be more effective in promoting positive outcomes for youth and climate action. Our main contribution is a discussion of how the evidence-based design of learning environments presents an undeveloped but potentially effective way to enhance interventions for the development of constructive GCC coping strategies among youth. Utilizing environmental affordances and design as scaffolding can guide the design of learning environments that give youth opportunities for active cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement with climate change education. Natural environments may be particularly effective in supporting active engagement and pathways to constructive coping. More research is needed to understand what design features underly these pathways to improved well-being and GCC coping strategies that may have positive implications for youth climate action.

Special issue: Crowding — NYU Scholars Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content NYU Scholars Home NYU Scholars Logo Help & FAQ Home Profiles Research units Research output Search by expertise, name or affiliation Special issue: Crowding Denis Pelli (Editor), P Cavanagh (Editor), R Desimone (Editor), B Tjan (Editor), A Treisman (Editor) Psychology Research output: Contribution to journal › Special issue › peer-review Overview Original language English (US) Journal Journal of Vision Volume 7 Issue number 2 State Published - 2007 Cite this APA Standard Harvard Vancouver Author BIBTEX RIS Powered by Pure, Scopus & Elsevier Fingerprint Engine™ © 2023 Elsevier BV We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies Log in to Pure About web accessibility …