Environmental Psychology
The Effects of Population Density (PSY460) /July 26, 2013
Shelly Sisneroz
Sarah Ingram
The Effects of Population Density The term population density is described as little more than the ratio of organisms to the size of an area (Xpeditions, 2008). This ratio is determined by taking the number of people in a given area and dividing that number by the area they occupy. As of the last U.S. census, the average population density of the United States was 70 people per square mile (Xpeditions, 2008). This is just an objective fact though and has little, if any, applicability to the average American’s daily life. However, when issues of excess population noise and decreased privacy are taken into account the subjective perception of population density meets the objective fact of population density. As population density increases so does the noise that the population produces, especially in crowded areas. Likewise, as people move to a more confined area the ability to maintain privacy and a sense of territoriality adapts and changes. To fully understand how population density affects individual people, the concepts of noise, privacy, territoriality, and personal space must be covered and the relevance of these concepts—and mediation thereof—must be applied to the subject of populations.
Noise
Noise is in the ear of the beholder, or so it would seem. Strictly speaking, noise is any sound—a wave that travel through an air medium—that is unwanted or interferes with the normal transmission of acoustic information (Arkkelin & Veitch, 1995). Notwithstanding, the perception of noise does involve a psychological component, so the identification and classification of noise is highly subjective. Sound itself has several differentiating perceptual characteristics—pitch, timbre, amplification—which correspond directly with the physical attributes of the sound itself—wave symmetry, wavelength, and wave amplitude. Also, scientists use decibels and hertz to
Shelly Sisneroz
Sarah Ingram
The Effects of Population Density The term population density is described as little more than the ratio of organisms to the size of an area (Xpeditions, 2008). This ratio is determined by taking the number of people in a given area and dividing that number by the area they occupy. As of the last U.S. census, the average population density of the United States was 70 people per square mile (Xpeditions, 2008). This is just an objective fact though and has little, if any, applicability to the average American’s daily life. However, when issues of excess population noise and decreased privacy are taken into account the subjective perception of population density meets the objective fact of population density. As population density increases so does the noise that the population produces, especially in crowded areas. Likewise, as people move to a more confined area the ability to maintain privacy and a sense of territoriality adapts and changes. To fully understand how population density affects individual people, the concepts of noise, privacy, territoriality, and personal space must be covered and the relevance of these concepts—and mediation thereof—must be applied to the subject of populations.
Noise
Noise is in the ear of the beholder, or so it would seem. Strictly speaking, noise is any sound—a wave that travel through an air medium—that is unwanted or interferes with the normal transmission of acoustic information (Arkkelin & Veitch, 1995). Notwithstanding, the perception of noise does involve a psychological component, so the identification and classification of noise is highly subjective. Sound itself has several differentiating perceptual characteristics—pitch, timbre, amplification—which correspond directly with the physical attributes of the sound itself—wave symmetry, wavelength, and wave amplitude. Also, scientists use decibels and hertz to
References: Arkkelin, D., Veitch, R. (1995). Environmental psychology: An international perspective, 1e.New York, NY: Prentice Hall, Inc. Bronzaft, A.L., Cohen, B.S., Goodman, J., Heikkinen, M., Nadas, A. (2008). Airport-related airpollution and noise. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Hygiene, 5(2), 119-129. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database. Brown, G., Lawrence, T. B., & Robinson, S. L. (2005). Territoriality in organizations. Academyof Management Review, 30(3), 577-594. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from Business Source Complete database. Xpeditions: A look at the population density of the United States. (2008). National Geographic.Retrieved July 27, 2013 from National Geographic Web site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/01/g912/density.html