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Abstract
The experience of natural environments and places is multifaceted, involving psychological functions such as perception, cognition, memory, emotion, and imagination. Environmental perception and cognition were key topics in early research in environmental psychology. More recently, attention has also been directed to affective dimensions of environmental experience, such as emotion and mood. As yet, however, little attention has been given to the role of imagination in experiencing natural environments and places. The term "imagination" encompasses a diverse set of phenomena, including visualization, dreaming, reverie, and the use of metaphors and symbolism in language and thought. In this paper, I illustrate some ways in which imagination functions in people's experiences of natural environments, using examples drawn from qualitative, mail-back surveys about special outdoor places in the upper Midwest.
Parent Publication
Citation
Schroeder, Herbert. 2010. The role of imagination in experiencing natural environments. In: Watts, Clifton E., Jr.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc, eds. Proceedings of the 2009 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-66. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 10-15.
