Proposal for an answer based on the comparison between "Environment and Behavior" and "Journal of Environmental Psychology"

Abstract

This article defines the field in Environmental Psychology based on data referring to the journals Environment and Behavior and Journal of Environmental Psychology. To accomplish this, it uses Stokols' typology, which characterizes the human-environment transaction in two basic dimensions: cognitive (or symbolic) x behavioral (or physical) transaction forms; and active x reactive transaction phases, generating four transaction modes: interpretative; evaluative; responsive; operative. It concludes that different people-environment transaction modes are stable areas of interest; however, there are differences between the journals. The importance of the socio-cultural context on the object of study would be, therefore, implicit in the definition of environment. Finally, it establishes the difference between applied and oriented research.