Psychophysiological research in real-world environments: methodological perspectives from the SLU Multisensory...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Human-Environment Interaction
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Environmental quality significantly impacts human health and well-being.
• Previous environmental psychology research often lacked ecological validity due to simulated settings.
• A need exists for methods enabling studies in real-world environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the SENSOLA laboratory, designed for real-environment human-environment interaction studies.
• To detail the methodology for synchronizing environmental data with psychophysiological biomarkers and self-reports.
• To provide guidelines for field research in environmental psychology.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of the SENSOLA laboratory at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
• Utilization of wearable sensors for psychophysiological data collection.
• Integration of environmental data, biomarkers, and participant self-reports.

Main Results:

• The SENSOLA laboratory facilitates studies on human-environment interactions in authentic settings.
• Experiences from ten initial studies highlight key considerations for field research.
• Methodological approaches and procedural challenges/possibilities in field settings are discussed.

Conclusions:

• SENSOLA provides a novel platform for ecologically valid environmental psychology research.
• Synchronized data collection is crucial for understanding human-environment interactions.
• This paper offers a peer-reviewed guideline for future field-based studies in environmental psychology and related areas.