Good Vibes: Evaluating the 'Ambiance' Elicited from Public Spaces
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Authors
Shoup, Rosanna J.
Issue Date
2010
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The present study explored the impressions of general ambiance, or 'vi be', elicited from bars
and cafes. Impressions are drawn from inferences abstracted from people and their surroundings
(Gosling, Gaddis, & Vazire, 2008, p. 340-341). These inferences contain valid information about the
personalities, values, and dispositions of others. Buss (1987) has shown that people select, evoke, and
manipulate social environments. The present study supports the suggestion that people also actively
select, create, and manipulate the physical environments with which they interact (Gosling, Gaddis, &
Vazire, 2008, p. 336-337). It is predicted that public establishments elicit an 'ambiance' that is generated
by the personalities, trace behaviors, and identity claims of the patrons who frequent the location.
Furthermore, it is this 'ambiance' that allows observers to make similar impressions. The 10 location
observers who rated their impressions of the selected public establishments were undergraduate
·assistants receiving course credit for their participation. All establishments were located in the city of
Austin proper and consisted of 25 b~s and 25 cafes. Each location was randomly selected from a
comprehensive list and met the established criteria for 'bar' or 'cafe.' Planned analyses of the data
include a case 3A intraclass correlation coefficient of a mixed factonal analysis of variance (ANOVA)
of location observer scores by locations (10 x 50) for each of the descriptor items (see appendix A).
Description
iv, 38 p.
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