48353 - Psychology of Shapes -

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide conceptual, methodological and application elements which can be relevant for the architect's curriculum, through the analysis of some areas of study and research within psychology. This interdisciplinary excursus will focus in particular on the psychology of perception, and more precisely on the acquisition, processing and organisation of visual information. Besides introducing some key theoretical principles, the course will analyse in greater detail some of the most significant formal elements, with the support of practical coursework. Finally, the course will consider the specific and particular nature of architectural form and its meanings, focusing on the study of the interactions and relationships between man and the environment through contributions from social and environmental psychology.

Course contents

The course can be divided in three phases:

 

1.      FROM PERCEPTION TO FORM

Speaking of perception, the first part of the course will seek to identify and describe some general properties of visual experience and its basic function, which is to provide the observer with a good model of the outside world. The course will take as an important reference framework the main postulates of Gestalt theory. Among the topics addressed: the figure/ground phenomenon, multistability, the field's form and segmentation laws, constancy, perceptual ambiguity or instability phenomena with respect to the importance of the information sources used by the visual system, criticisms to the idea of a perfect correspondence between physical and perceptual reality and perception in its broadest sense, also with reference to past experiences which do not have any specific correspondence with sensory information and physical reality.

A number of concrete examples will be used to favour the comprehension of the above concepts, which will be addressed in the following order: neuro-psycho-physical elements, the sequence physical world - optical information - perceived world, the concept of form, the act of perception and the perceived, "seeing" as a creative act.

 

2.      THE ELEMENTS OF FORM

The course will consider Arnheim's idea that the very act of seeing contains the psychological principles that motivate the creation of form and that can give an important contribution to its decoding. The significant contents of form will be read and hypothesised through some of its elements: light and shadow, colour, simple geometric shapes, configuration and composition.

 

3.      THE "ARCHITECTURAL FORM" AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

Architectural objects have complex ties with their function of being means to an end, and show connections to the satisfaction of human needs in their being environments in which to feel and to be. This part of the course will introduce the notions of psychological quality of living and living one's environments. Contributions from social and environmental psychology to the study of interactions and relationships between people and their environment will be considered with special reference to practical applications in the field of built environments: residential satisfaction, crowding, dwellings, study, work, care and detention; environment representations, attitudes and evaluations; perceptions of safety and the consequent environmental attitudes and behaviours.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Arnheim, Rudolf – Arte e percezione visiva. Milano: Feltrinelli (1984)
2. Canestrari, Renzo – Psicologia generale e dello sviluppo. Bologna: CLUEB (1988)
3. Kanizsa, Gaetano – Grammatica del vedere. Bologna: Il Mulino (1980)
4. Bonnes M., Secchiaroli G., Psicologia ambientale: introduzione alla psicologia sociale dell'ambiente. Roma: NIS (1992)

Teaching methods

Lectures will be supported by practical experiential applications and exercises.

Assessment methods

Written and oral examination

Teaching tools

Video projector, PC, overhead projector

Office hours

See the website of Emanuele Valgiusti