Date of Award
8-2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Human Sciences
Department
Human Sciences
First Advisor
Mrs. Sally Ann Swearingen
Second Advisor
Dr. Ray Darville
Third Advisor
Mrs. Leisha Bridwell
Fourth Advisor
Dr. David Lewis
Fifth Advisor
Mrs. Lindsay Tan
Abstract
Design trends are constantly in flux, but the reasons why people prefer new trends are not readily apparent. This thesis brought together multiple aspects of interior design to investigate how design has changed. After a review of available studies, the researcher decided to focus on natural design in homes because this area has previous research upon which to build. This study compared data to examine how stress in America relates to plant imagery. The research questions asked what, if any, relationship exists between societal stress and the use of plants, plant-like objects, and window views.
Measures of stress included hospitalization, violent crime, and poverty rates. The setting for examination was the United States from 1965 to 2020. The study used items in photographs to generate variables. The results indicated there was a positive, moderate relationship between the number of plants used in a home and the rate of hospitalization for the same year. When controlling for the size of plants, there was a strong, positive relationship. The data supported a negative, weak relationship between the use of plants and the poverty rate. The analysis concluded that there is little relationship between social factors and the view from the windows in a room. There was not enough evidence to support any connection between social factors and plant-like objects. This showed that in years when hospitalization rates were higher, there was an increased number of plants in magazine photographs.
Repository Citation
Birdwell, Trenton W., "Growing Concerned: How Societal Stress Relates to Plants in the Home" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 464.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/464
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
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