ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

This chapter discusses the environmental perception and behavior. The term environmental perception is used in two senses. It is the process by which an individual gains knowledge of the world by receiving stimuli from the environment through his senses. This stimulus/response is not a simple process since the individual receives eighteen separate visual images alone each second, and these are then filtered through his reason and emotions, which are themselves affected by past learning and motivation. As a result, different people respond to the same stimuli in different ways. It is also the image of the environment that each individual carries inside his head. This mental model is very important because it is the frame of reference within which man behaves, and is of considerable interest to the geographer. The process of perception and its consequent mental model are affected by two basic considerations which includes the individual's personal view of the environment, and the influence of culture on this view.