Peter H. Kahn, Jr.

1
Peter H. Kahn, Jr. Human Interaction with Nature
and Technological Systems Lab (HINTS
Lab) Department of PsychologyUniversity of
Washington
MIT Press, 2011
2
In terms of the future wellbeing of our species,
does it matter that we are replacing actual
nature with technological nature?

• Psychological findings on 4 types of
  technological nature
• Plasma display nature window
• Telegarden
• Robot dog
• Humanoid robot

3
A Plasma Display Window?The Experimental Study
Kahn, P. H., Jr., Friedman, B., Gill, B., Hagman,
J., Severson, R. L., Freier, N. G., Feldman, E.
N., Carrère, S., Stolyar, A. (2008). A Plasma
Display Window? The Shifting Baseline Problem
in a Technologically-Mediated Natural World.
Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(2),
192-199.
4
A Plasma Display Window?The Experimental Study

• More rapid heart rate recovery in the glass
  window condition compared to the blank wall
  condition.
• No difference in heart rate recovery between the
  plasma window condition and the blank wall
  condition.
• Participants looked just as often (but not as
  long per look) at the plasma window compared to
  the glass window.
• When participants spent more time looking at the
  glass window, their heart rate tended to decrease
  more rapidly that was not the case with the
  plasma window.

5
A Plasma Display Window?The Field Study
Friedman, B., Freier, N. G., Kahn, P. H., Jr.,
Lin, P., Sodeman, R. (2008). Office Window of
the Future? Field-Based Analyses of a New Use
of a Large Display. International Journal of
Human Computer Studies, 66(6), 452-465.