“Exploratory” and “Descriptive” Aspects of Environmental Psychology Course within the Interior Design Education

Abstract

Identifying human attachment to the environment by developing different degrees, spatial ranges and dimensions, this study aims to further the growing body of knowledge about the discipline of Environmental Psychology within the process of interior design solving problems. Environmental Psychology provides an analytic point of view up on the existing built environment with a rich and diverse set of quantitative indicators for characterizing spaces in many ways that are potentially relevant to a variety of psychological responses, including choosing routes while locomotion, orientation and disorientation, spatial knowledge acquisition, perceived spaciousness, privacy and social interaction, stress and fear, and aesthetic judgments (Kolb, 1984). Experimental Learning Theory defines learning as "the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience". This study makes the emphasis on "exploratory" and "descriptive" aspects of the Environmental Psychology within the real life context, providing comprehensive information to be inferred and issued in a complementary manner in interior design education. In such a way that; viable physical environment, social organization and norms, characteristics of people objectives are to determinants empirically whether, and how the use of experience and practices can improve design problemsolving by both novice and expert designers. In this context, this study presents applied samples and outcomes of course works of case-based instruction and its description development to be applied as medium synthesizing and/or assimilating with various observations for new idea generation process of design.

The Dynamics of the Psychological Approach in Designing Spaces: A Study of Architecture Students

“…The role of environmental psychology was examined in the educational roadmap of interior design in the recent researches. Yalçin (2015) emphasized student inquiry in terms of psycho-social factors affecting people, directing spatial design and identity in order to establish their analysis, providing "Exploratory" and "Descriptive" aspects to the design problem. Their exploration revealed that the relationships with interior and exterior spaces provide not only emotional and psychological affordances but also cognitive and social affordances which satisfy the sense of place, integrate and enable engagement.…”

Curiosity and Design education

“…To meet these purposes classroom activities brings real world problematics for being solve, allowing the alumni to observe and experiment in environments that consider differences as their learning styles (Yalçin, 2015). Although these programs have a positive and significant impact in the way the students perceived and solve real world problems, research had found that some aspects related to their creative endeavor may be missing in the educational curricula by not considering variables and traits entangled to creativity and innovation, as curiosity does.…”

“…To this day, teaching methods tend to balance both, the creative process with a critical awareness of objective criteria to meet the design purposes. Regularly, in these programs, design curricula consider aspects as learning styles as individual traits with an active repercussion in the student's outcomes (Yalçin, 2015). But what other sources of variability do we have?…”

“…Programs teaches the students to develop their natural abilities to help them "think on" design, instead of solving specific design problems (Gorgul & Gorgul, 2012). Thus, aimed to help them develop their natural abilities to make the right design decisions, this programs' environment tends to promote learning while experimenting and observing, considering that variables as learning styles may have an effect in the outcomes (Yalçin, 2015). But leaving aside other personal characteristics that are actual core elements to design and innovative performance, as curiosity.…”

Emotion and Sustainable Residential Interior Shape

“…While light and color are flexible and can change easily by inhabitant"s mood (Wardono, Hibino, & Koyama, 2012). Interior space form is one of the main design factors that can have special effects on inhabitant"s emotions (Karslı, 2015;Yalçin, 2015).…”