Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers, IELTS Passage

Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers: The IELTS Reading section evaluates a candidate's ability to comprehend and interpret passages on various topics. One such topic, "Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers," explores how architectural design impacts human psychology, well-being, and social behavior.

In this guide, we provide a sample passage along with model answers to help IELTS aspirants practice efficiently. The passage includes various question types, such as Matching Headings and Matching Features, which test analytical and comprehension skills. Candidates are advised to allocate only 20 minutes per passage to manage time effectively in the IELTS test. Read till the end to gain valuable insights into the "Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers" passage and improve your IELTS Reading performance.

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Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers Passage

You should spend about 20 minutes on questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.

Psychological Value of Space

A. What would a building space look and feel like if it were designed to promote psychological and social well-being? How would it affect the senses, the emotions, and the mind? How would it affect behavioral patterns? For insights, it is useful to look not at buildings, but at zoos. Zoo design has gone through a radical transformation in the past several decades. Cages have been replaced by natural habitats and geographic clustering of animals. In some places, the animals are free-ranging and the visitors are enclosed in buses or trains moving through the habitat. Animals now exist in mixed species exhibits more like their natural landscapes. And, as in nature, the animals have much greater control over their behavior. They can be on view if they want, or out of sight. They forage, play, rest, mate and act like normal animals.

B. What brought about this transformation in philosophy and design? A key factor was concern over the animals’ psychological and social well-being. Zoos could keep animals alive, but they couldn’t make them flourish. Caged animals often exhibit neurotic behaviors—pacing, repetitive motions, aggression, and withdrawal. In one famous example, an animal psychologist was hired by the Central Park Zoo to study a polar bear that spent the day swimming in endless figure eights in its small pool. This was not normal polar bear behavior and the zoo was concerned about it. After several days of observation, the animal psychologist offered a diagnosis. The bear was bored. To compensate for this unfortunate situation, the zoo added amenities and toys to the bear’s enclosure to encourage exploration and play.

C. Are there lessons that we can apply to building design? Some experts believe so: for example, biologist Stephen Boyden (1971) defines the optimum healthy environment as ‘the conditions which tend to promote or permit an animal optimal physiological, mental, and social performance in its natural or “evolutionary” environment.’ Because humans evolved in a natural landscape, it is reasonable to turn to the natural environment for clues about preference patterns that may be applicable to building design. Drawing on habitat selection theory, ecologist Gordon Orians argues that humans are psychologically adapted to and prefer landscape features that characterized the African plain or savannah, the presumed site of human evolution. Although humans now live in many different habitats, Orians argues that our species’ long history as mobile hunters and gatherers on the African savannahs should have left its mark on our psyche. If the ‘savannah hypothesis’ is true, we would expect to find that humans intrinsically like and find pleasurable environments that contain the key features of the savannah most likely to have aided our ancestors’ survival and well-being.

D. Although Boyden distinguishes between survival and well-being needs, they often overlap. For example, people clearly need food for survival and health. However, food often serves as the basis for bonding and relationship development. The ritual of sitting around a fire on the savannah or in a cave telling stories of the day’s events and planning for tomorrow may be an ancient carryover from Homo sapiens’ hunting and gathering days. According to anthropologist Melvin Konner, the sense of safety and intimacy associated with the campfire may have been a factor in the evolution of intellectual progression as well as social bonds. Today’s hearth is the family kitchen at home, and the community places, such as cafes and coffee bars, where people increasingly congregate to eat, talk, read and work.

E. A growing body of research shows that building environments that connect people to nature are more supportive of human emotional well-being and cognitive performance than environments lacking these features. For instance, research by Roger Ulrich consistently shows that passive viewing of nature through windows promotes positive moods. Similarly, research by Rachel Kaplan found that workers with window views of trees had a more positive outlook on life than those doing similar work but whose window looked out onto a parking lot. Connection to nature also provides mini mental breaks that may aid the ability to concentrate, according to research by Stephen Kaplan. Terry Hartig and colleagues report similar results in a field experiment. People in their study who went for a walk in a predominantly natural setting achieved better on several office tasks requiring concentration than those who walked in a predominantly built setting or who quietly read a magazine indoors.

F. Studies of outdoor landscapes are providing evidence that the effects of nature on human health and well-being extend beyond emotional and cognitive functioning to social behavior and crime reduction. For instance, Francis Kuo found that outdoor nature buffers aggression in urban high- rise settings and enhances ability to deal with demanding circumstances. He also reported that planting trees in urban areas increases sociability by providing comfortable places for residents to talk with one another and develop friendships that promote mutual support.

G. A natural perspective also contributes important insights into comfort maintenance. Because people differ from one another in many ways (genetics, cultures, lifestyles) their ambient preferences vary. Furthermore, a given person varies over time depending upon his or her state of health, activities, clothing levels, and so forth. For most of human history, people have actively managed their surroundings as well as their behaviors to achieve comfort. Yet buildings continue to be designed with a “one size fits all” approach. Very few buildings or workstations enable occupants to control lighting, temperature, ventilation rates, or noise conditions. Although the technology is largely available to do this, the personal comfort systems have not sold well in the marketplace, even though research by Walter Kroner and colleagues at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that personal control leads to significant increases in comfort and morale.

Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers Sample Questions

Questions 1-5: IELTS Matching Headings

Match the following headings (A-G) with the correct paragraph.

1. The role of natural elements in mental well-being
2. How Human Evolution Shapes Environmental Preferences
3. Lessons from zoo design in creating better spaces
4. The impact of nature on social behavior and crime rates
5. Challenges in designing adaptable and comfortable buildings

Questions 10-13: IELTS Matching Features

Match the following researchers with their findings.

10. Roger Ulrich
11. Francis Kuo
12. Melvin Konner
13. Walter Kroner

A. Found that exposure to nature reduces aggression in urban areas
B. Discovered that controlling personal surroundings improves comfort
C. Studied the connection between campfires and social bonding
D. Showed that viewing nature through windows enhances mood

Psychological Value of Space Reading Answers with Explanations 

1. The role of natural elements in mental well-being

• Answer: E

• Location: Paragraph E

• Reference: "A growing body of research shows that building environments that connect people to nature are more supportive of human emotional well-being and cognitive performance than environments lacking these features."

• Explanation: The paragraph discusses how nature influences emotional well-being and cognitive performance, making it the best match for this heading.

2. How human evolution shapes environmental preferences

• Answer: C

• Location: Paragraph C

• Reference: "Because humans evolved in a natural landscape, it is reasonable to turn to the natural environment for clues about preference patterns that may be applicable to building design."

• Explanation: This paragraph explains how human preferences for spaces are influenced by evolutionary factors, specifically the savannah hypothesis.

3. Lessons from zoo design in creating better spaces

• Answer: A

• Location: Paragraph A

• Reference: "Zoo design has gone through a radical transformation in the past several decades... Animals now exist in mixed species exhibits more like their natural landscapes."

• Explanation: This paragraph draws a comparison between zoo design and human spaces, suggesting that similar principles can be applied to promote well-being.

4. The impact of nature on social behavior and crime rates

• Answer: F

• Location: Paragraph F

• Reference: "Francis Kuo found that outdoor nature buffers aggression in urban high-rise settings and enhances ability to deal with demanding circumstances."

• Explanation: The paragraph highlights research showing that exposure to natural environments reduces aggression and promotes sociability.

5. Challenges in designing adaptable and comfortable buildings

• Answer: G

• Location: Paragraph G

• Reference: "Yet buildings continue to be designed with a ‘one size fits all’ approach... Very few buildings or workstations enable occupants to control lighting, temperature, ventilation rates, or noise conditions."

• Explanation: The paragraph discusses the difficulty of designing buildings that accommodate personal comfort preferences, making it the best fit for this heading.

10. Roger Ulrich

• Answer: D

• Location: Paragraph E

• Reference: "Research by Roger Ulrich consistently shows that passive viewing of nature through windows promotes positive moods."

• Explanation: Roger Ulrich's research found that just looking at nature through windows improves people's moods, which matches this feature.

11. Francis Kuo

• Answer: A

• Location: Paragraph F

• Reference: "Francis Kuo found that outdoor nature buffers aggression in urban high-rise settings and enhances ability to deal with demanding circumstances."

• Explanation: Kuo's study found that nature helps reduce aggression and improves people's ability to handle stress, making this the correct match.

12. Melvin Konner

• Answer: C

• Location: Paragraph D

• Reference: "According to anthropologist Melvin Konner, the sense of safety and intimacy associated with the campfire may have been a factor in the evolution of intellectual progression as well as social bonds."

• Explanation: Konner's research links campfires to social bonding and intellectual growth, fitting this feature.

13. Walter Kroner

• Answer: B

• Location: Paragraph G

• Reference: "Walter Kroner and colleagues at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that personal control leads to significant increases in comfort and morale."

• Explanation: Kroner’s research found that allowing individuals to control their environment improves their comfort, making this the best match.

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