Sommer's classroom environment conclusion - Answers 1. Students and teachers who dislike their
learning environment will try to avoid it or change it
2. student participation decreases as the number of students in class increases. Length is longer in
smaller classes
3. Content of student participation in large classes is more likely to be devoted to questions of
clarification or requests to repeat an idea
4. Participation was more frequent within range of the instructor's eye gaze.
5. where students sit can alter their classroom participation, but this effect is less likely with low
participators.
Adams and Biddle's zone of participation - Answers zone of participation in the center of the room. This
center zone is most likely to occur when the instructor stands in the middle of the room because it is
highly dependent on the instructor's visual contact with the students. If the instructor moved to the side
and maintained visual contact with the students in front of him or her, the zone of participation would
no longer be in the center
Perceptions of our surroundings - six dimensions - Answers Formality
Warmth
Privacy
Familiarity
Constraint
Distance
Perceptions of Formality - Answers -Formal-informal continuum
-Based on everything from objects to people
-Increased formality = increased formal communication behaviors
Perceptions of Warmth - Answers The "coziness factor" of a room, dependent upon lighting, furniture,
and the presence or absence of plants. McDonald's is not very warm, but this is intentionally done so
that they can have a high turnover rate.
Perceptions of Privacy - Answers -Enclosed environments suggest greater privacy
-Greater privacy means we're more relaxed and might share more personal messages and utilize closer
speaking distances
, Perceptions of Familiarity - Answers -Expectancy Development
-Unfamiliar environments present us with rituals, rules, and norms that we aren't accustomed to,
inhibiting our behavior
Perceptions of Constraint - Answers -Based on how easily we can leave a situation
-Doesn't have to be physical space, could be psychological space
Perceptions of Distance - Answers Determined by proximity of other individuals, both physically and
psychologically. Since McDonalds tables are really small, if you were to have a large party all sit at one
table then there would be a low perceived distance
Mehrabian's emotional reactions - Answers arousal, pleasurable, dominant
Perceptions of Time - Answers Time dictates expectations about planning, scheduling, profit streams,
and what constitutes tardiness in arriving for work and meetings
Flashbulb memory - Answers a clear, sustained memory of an emotionally significant moment or event
Zimbardo and Boyd's attitudes toward time - Answers believe in individual differences in people's
attitudes toward time, something which can influence their decisions and judgments
Changing Season Impacts - Answers 1. Suicide rates and admissions to public mental hospitals rise
2. College students break up with their dating partners at beginnings and ends of semester
3. Summer, people see their friends more often
4. Increased crimes of assault and rape in Summer
5. July-November, people tend to report less happiness but more activity and less boredom
6. U.S. Females born during the fall are more likely to have symptoms related to eating disorders than
those during other seasons
7. Seasonal depression is more likely to be triggered during late fall and early winter
Architectural design and movable objects - Answers color, sound, lighting, movable objects, structure
and design
Fixed feature - Answers space organized by unmoving boundaries
Semifixed feature - Answers arrangement of movable objects
Use of color - Answers used to influence and/or effect behaviors
Use of movable objects - Answers can facilitate or inhibit communication via placement