Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Richard H. Mattson / With the advancement of urbanization, many children today have limited or no
experiences with nature or survival instincts as described by the nature (Biophilia)
hypothesis. Today, children's preference toward landscapes may be more reflective of
cultural experiences learned from family, teachers, or classmates, and referred to as the
nurture hypothesis. In this research study, two visual surveys were used to investigate the
nature vs. nurture hypotheses.
In the first survey, 93 multicultural American children were asked to identify
their preferred colors for symbols of bananas, tulips, birds, and trees. In the second
survey, 202 children from American and Japanese schools were asked their visual
preferences and emotional responses to photographs of landscapes, trees, homes, and
nature scenes. Subjects were first, third, and sixth grade elementary school students in
America and Japan. The effects of culture, age, and gender were evaluated. In addition,
the relative preference and emotional impact of plants and landscapes were examined.
In the first study, younger children preferred all colors that exist in nature.
However, responses of the older children would support the nurture hypothesis. Older
children selected fewer and more appropriate colors, such as yellow bananas, reflecting a
learned behavior. Also, boys preferred blue symbols while girls selected red with higher
frequency than other colors.
In the second study, American children preferred the Japanese landscape and
tree scenes, and reported more positive emotion than Japanese children toward the
American and Japanese tree scenes. Younger American children showed more positive
emotions toward the American home scene. Although first and third grade Japanese
children preferred Japanese scenes, more sixth grade Japanese children preferred
American scenes. In conclusion, visual preferences and emotional responses are
influenced by content of photographs, and evidence supports both the nature and the
nurture hypothesis among Japanese and American children.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/489 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Tsunoda, Tomoko |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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