Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture (한국조경학회지)

The Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture (한국조경학회)
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Restorative Effects of Natural Landscape on University Students' Stress Reduction and Cognitive Enhancement

대학생들의 스트레스 해소와 인지향상에 미치는 자연경관의 치유효과

  • Received : 2015.12.07
  • Accepted : 2015.12.22
  • Published : 2015.12.31
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Abstract

Recent research has shown that university students experience severe stress and depleted directed attention due to study, social relationships, and economic dependency. Based on the stress reduction theory and the attention restoration theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of natural landscape on university students' stress and cognitive performance through a wide array of measurements including GSR(galvanic skin responsse), IBI(interbeat interval), ZIPERS(Zucherman Inventory of Personal Reactions), and mental arithmetic test. The restorative effects of natural landscape were compared with those of urban landscape. 128 university students participated in the study, and the data of 120 students was analyzed. The results showed that natural landscape was more restorative in relieving psychological stress and in enhancing cognitive performance than urban landscape, which evidenced the restorative effects of natural landscape. Therefore, it could be proposed that natural landscaping of the university campus contributes to students' stress reduction and cognitive enhancement. But such effects were not found in the two physiological measures(both GSR and IBI). Moreover, it was analyzed that urban landscape had a more beneficial effect than natural landscape for IBI, which might resulted from the participants' characteristics and the study landscape. Specifically, the young age span of the participants(average 23.8 years old) and the very natural setting of the university where they were enrolled might lead to the conflicting results in physiological measures. Also, the urban landscape used in the study had a sense of "scope", which is one of the Kaplan and Kaplan's restorative characteristics. Based on this opinion, it was suggested that future study should investigate the impact of the landscape type and contents as well as the participants' characteristics on the restorative effects of natural landscape.

스트레스에 대한 연구결과를 보면 대학생들은 학업과 사회관계 그리고 경제적 의존 등으로 인하여 매우 심각한 스트레스를 받고 있는 것으로 나타난다. 본 연구의 목적은 스트레스 저하이론과 집중력 회복 이론에 근거하여 대학생들의 스트레스와 인지수행에 미치는 자연경관의 영향을 조사하는 것이다. 이를 위해서 피부돌출도(GSR: galvanic skin responsse), 심박시간(IBI: interveat interval), 심리측정(ZIPERS: Zucherman Inventory of Personal Reactions), 그리고 산수암산이 평가도구로 채용되었다. 자연경관의 치유효과는 도시경관과의 비교를 통해 조사되었으며, 128명의 대학생이 연구에 참여하였다. 결과분석에는 120명의 자료가 이용되었다. 연구결과를 보면 심리적 스트레스 해소와 인지향상에서 자연경관의 치유효과가 도시경관보다 더 크게 나타나고 있는데, 이러한 결과는 자연경관의 치유효과를 입증하고 있다. 따라서 자연경관은 학생들의 스트레스 해소와 인지향상에 기여할 것으로 기대된다. 그러나 이러한 효과는 GSR과 IBI를 포함한 두 가지 생리측정에서는 발견되지 않았다. 더 나아가 IBI 측정결과를 보면 도시경관의 치유효과가 자연경관보다 높은 것으로 나타나고 있는데, 이러한 결과는 연구 참여자 특성과 연구대상 경관에 기인하는 것으로 생각된다. 구체적으로 연구 참여자의 나이가 젊고(평균 23.8세), 참여자가 다니는 대학교가 자연경관이 우세한 지역에 있다는 점이 생리측정 결과에 영향을 줄 수 있다. 또한 본 연구에서 사용된 도시경관이 Kaplan and Kaplan이 주장하는 네 가지 치유경관특질 중 하나인 공간감을 갖고 있는 점도 원인으로 생각될 수 있다. 이러한 논의에 근거하면 이후 연구에서는 경관의 내용과 종류 그리고 연구 참여자 특성이 자연경관의 치유효과에 미치는 영향을 밝히는 것이 필요할 것으로 판단된다.

Keywords

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