The Influence of Emotional Environmental Pictures on Behavior Intentions: The Evidence of Neuroscience Technology

Wei-Yin Chang, Ming-Te Lo and Chin-Fei Huang
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Wei-Yin Chang: College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Ming-Te Lo: Graduate Institute of Science Education & Environmental Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung 82444, Taiwan
Chin-Fei Huang: Graduate Institute of Science Education & Environmental Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung 82444, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-8

Abstract: Background: In recent years, researchers have been paying increasing attention to the issues of how emotions affect people’s perceptions of the environment, and how they influence people’s behavior or intentions to act. The purpose of this study is to explore the influences of emotions on environmental intention to act by using the neuroscience technology electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: A total of 70 university students participated in this study. They looked at positive and negative emotional environmental pictures and decided if they wanted to protect the environment after looking at the pictures. The participants wore an EEG cap throughout the process in order to collect their brain wave (EEG) data. Results: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that the power value of meditation was significantly higher when the participants looked at the positive than at the negative emotional environmental pictures ( p < 0.001). The power value of pressure was significantly higher when the participants looked at the negative than at the positive emotional environmental pictures ( p < 0.001). The power value of attention was significantly higher when the participants looked at the negative than at the emotional environmental pictures ( p < 0.001). Conclusions and recommendations: The findings showed that positive emotional environmental pictures might promote positive emotions, but will decrease the intention to act to protect the environment. In contrast, negative emotional environmental pictures will increase negative emotions, and will also increase attention and intention to act to protect the environment. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords: electroencephalography (EEG); emotions; environmental intention to act; neuroscience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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