Connected to Birds but Not Bees: Valence Moderates Implicit Associations With Nature

The article discusses three experiments that replicated and extended prior research on implicit connections with built and natural environments. In Experiment 1, participants classify nature (e.g., trees) and self (e.g., me) items faster than built (e.g., factory) and other (e.g., them) items. This effect may attribute to words that elicit stronger positive associations to nature and stronger negative associations to built categories. In Experiment 2, participants rated nature and self items more positively than built and other items. This finding suggests a propensity to view oneself and the natural environment more favorably in comparison to others and the built environment. This positive association to nature, however, was reversed in Experiment 3: Participants classify built and self items faster than nature and self items. Results indicate that stimulus valence moderates implicit associations to built and natural environments. Implications regarding the role of affective processing on implicit attitudes to these environments are discussed.