The Influence of Audio-Visual Interactions on Psychological Responses of Young People in Urban Green Areas: A Case Study in Two Parks in China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 May 24;16(10):1845. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16101845.

Abstract

Audio-visual interactions in green spaces are important for mental health and wellbeing. However, the influence of audio-visual interactions on psychological responses is still less clear. This study introduced a new method, namely the audio-visual walk (AV-walk), to obtain data on the audio-visual context, audio-visual experiences, and psychological responses in two typical parks, namely Cloves Park and Music Park in Harbin, China. Some interesting results are as follows: First, based on Pearson's correlation analysis, sound pressure level and roughness were significantly correlated with psychological responses in Cloves Park (p < 0.05). Second, the results of stepwise regression models showed the impact intensity of acoustic comfort was 1.64-1.68 times higher than that of visual comfort on psychological responses of emotion dimension, while visual comfort was 1.35-1.37 times higher than acoustic comfort on psychological responses of cognition dimension in Music Park. In addition, an orthogonal analysis diagram explained the influence of audio-visual interactions on psychological responses of young people. The audio-visual context located beside the waterscape with a relatively higher level of acoustic and visual comfort was the most cheerful (2.60), relaxed (2.45), and energetic (2.05), while the audio-visual context close to an urban built environment tended to be both acoustically and visually uncomfortable, and the psychological state was decreased to the most depressed (-0.25), anxious (-0.75), fatigued (-1.13) and distracted (-1.13).

Keywords: audio-visual interaction; audio-visual walk; orthogonal analysis; urban parks; young people’s psychological response.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety
  • Built Environment
  • China
  • Depression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parks, Recreational*
  • Relaxation
  • Sound*
  • Visual Perception*
  • Walking / psychology
  • Young Adult