Speaker
Description
Establishing and maintaining positive interpersonal relationships play a significant role in human development and well-being. Even though ecology of human development explains the interactions between humans and changes in their immediate environments, human development is also influenced by the natural environment in which individuals interact. Ecoculture--the reciprocal interaction between nature and culture, individuals’ self-identification within ecocultural systems, and indigenous cultural knowledge may influence their cognition and behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new conceptual framework highlighting the significance of an interdisciplinary approach in understanding the influence of interactions with the environment on individuals’ cognition. It explores how interactions with the natural environment and with culturally significant landscapes influence cognition and behaivour. Data was collected using a qualitative approach, including a review of the literature, observations, and autoethnography. It appears that interactions with the natural environment and individuals’ cognitive and experiential relationships, positively affect their development and well-being. Certain features of the natural environment and culturally or historically significant landscapes, that offer a physical space for individuals to interact with the natural environment and to exchange their knowledge and experience with others, may influence their cognitive processes like self-perceptions, identities, thinking, and inner mastery, all of which ultimately contribute to healthy development. Hence, an interdisciplinary approach that integrates knowledge from disciplines like psychology, anthropology, ecology, and archaeology will be useful in gaining advanced knowledge of how interactions between environment and individuals affect their development and well-being.
Key words: Environment, cognition, human development, social interactions, interdisciplinary approach
