"PROSPECT-REFUGE THEORY
> 
> One of the more prominent contributions in this vein is Appleton's 
> (1975). Based on his analyses of landscape paintings, Appleton concluded 
> that landscapes with high attraction value contained a balance between 
> prospect and refuge features. Prospect features such as elevated 
> landforms provide an overall view of the landscape and facilitate the 
> search for fowl, water, and prey. Refuge features such as groupings of 
> trees permit the individual to see without being seen and function 
> mainly in the interests of security. In this theory, the most important 
> aspect of the habitat is the spatial arrangement of environmental 
> attributes, that is, land- forms, trees, open spaces, and water, 
> inasmuch as their arrangement determines whether prospect and refuge 
> opportunities can be effectively utilized.
> 
> Attempts to test Appleton's theory by means of comparative landscape 
> judgments have yielded equivocal results (e.g., Clamp & Powell, 1982; 
> Heyligers, 1981), which is likely a function of the variation of 
> possible spatial arrangements of prospect and refuge features (Appleton, 
> 1988). Supporting data for the theory were obtained by Mealey and Theis 
> (1995), however, based on their contention that the relative attraction 
> value of prospect and refuge should vary within individuals in 
> accordance with their moods. Positive moods, they maintained, would 
> induce a need to explore and take risks for the sake of future benefits 
> and would thus be associated with prospect. Negative moods would give 
> rise to a need for security and rest and would thereby be associated 
> with refuge. As predicted, subjects reporting positive moods preferred 
> landscapes with vast expanses and overviews, while subjects reporting 
> mood dysphori" -- 
> Locating Places, Irwin Silverman and Jean Choi, chap 6, p 192,The 


Interesting idea. I'm forwarding this to a friend of mine, John Agnew who does landscape and nature art. (He did the cover for my book.

http://www.angelfire.com/id/wildscenes/

 In support of this theory, have about a hundred pictures looking out of caves. John also paint interesting pictures of swamps and other dangerous places often showing snakes. A recent Outside Magazine article talks about the evolutionary component of risk taking and how scientists are scanning the brains of base jumpers. 

A. Huxley in Doors of Perception mentions cathedrals and stain glass as man made psychedelics that transport the mind into a religious frame of mind. It may be that these soaring spaces convey a mixture of safety and risk (vastness) as do large spaces in caves. I had a similar feeling in the rocket assembly plant at Cape Kennedy back when they would let you go there.

Another thing I notice in art that I enjoy is a mixture chaos and order. Too chaotic =
not understandable. Too ordered = boring.

Larry2



---- Gabriel Orgrease <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
> "A genuine, detailed specification of the circuit logic of human nature 
> is expected to become the theoretical centerpiece of a newly 
> reconstituted set of social sciences, because each model of an evolved 
> psychological mechanism makes predictions about the psychological, 
> behavioral, and social phenomena the circuits generate or influence. 
> (For example, the evolutionarily specialized mechanisms underlying human 
> alliance help to explain phenomena such as racism and group dynamics; 
> Kurzban, Tooby, & Cosmides, 2001.) A growing inventory of such models 
> will catalyze the transformation of the social sciences from fields that 
> are predominantly descriptive, soft, and particularistic into 
> theoretically principled scientific disciplines with genuine predictive 
> and explanatory power. Evolutionary psychology in the narrow sense is 
> the scientific project of mapping our evolved psychological mechanisms; 
> in the broad sense, it includes the project of reformulating and 
> expanding the social sciences (and medical sciences) in light of the 
> progressive mapping of our species' evolved architecture." -- John Tooby 
> & Leda Cosmides, Conceptual Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology, chap 
> 1, p 6, The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, ed David W. Buss, John 
> Wiley and Sons, 2005. http://tinyurl.com/czm7rr
> 
> I was looking for background on theories of prospect and refuge. It 
> seems particularly relevant to current times, and to Torre from which to 
> look out at the predatory birds.
> 
> 5.
> 
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