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Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Author "Bell, Paul, committee member"

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    Human responses to simulated motorized noise in national parks
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Weinzimmer, David, author; Newman, Peter, advisor; Manfredo, Michael, committee member; Bell, Paul, committee member
    This thesis investigated the effects of three sources of motorized noise on laboratory participants' evaluations of landscape scenes, self-reported affective states, and physiological responses in simulated national park settings. Seventy-seven laboratory participants completed landscape assessments along 8 aesthetic dimensions and reported affective states while listening to audio clips of natural sounds, propeller planes, motorcycles, and snowmobiles. Each participant experienced all scenes and sound conditions in a pseudo-randomized order. The change from the natural sound baseline for each motorized source of noise was calculated. Results indicated that all motorized sources of noise had detrimental impacts on landscape assessments and self-reported affective states, compared to natural sounds. Motorcycle noise was demonstrated to have the largest negative impact on landscape assessments. Physiological response was also affected by experimental noise in some of the conditions (with the strongest effect in the snowmobile condition), but a consistent pattern of results failed to emerge to suggest that negative impacts to human physiology could be reliably detected under the present methodology. In addition to confirming that noise from motorized recreation has significant social impacts on potential park visitors, this simulation suggests that the specific source of the noise is an important factor in observer evaluations. These results could help park managers prioritize their educational and regulatory strategies for minimizing adverse impacts by motorized vehicles on natural soundscapes. Important advances in soundscape research methodology are also presented.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Photograph presentation order and range effects in visual based outdoor recreation research
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Gibson, Adam Wesley, author; Newman, Peter, advisor; Bell, Paul, committee member; Fristrup, Kurt, committee member; Lawson, Steve, committee member
    Visual based research methods, referring to the use of visual images to represent recreation resource conditions, are commonly used in outdoor recreation research to investigate appropriate levels of visitor use. Visual methods were developed to allow for the simulation of recreation resource conditions that would be difficult to describe using narrative methods. The research contained in this dissertation builds on previous research related to visual based methods of outdoor recreation. While data from visual based research methods can provide a strong empirical basis to support outdoor recreation management decision-making, visual research methods applied in this context are subject to several potential sources of measurement bias. These potential sources of bias include effects associated with photograph presentation order, and effects associated with the range of resource conditions depicted. These two biases are respectively referred to as order effect and range effect. This dissertation examines the issues of order and range effect biases in visual based outdoor recreation research. In a lab setting, respondents were asked to rate a series of photographs of a recreation site in Rocky Mountain National Park in terms if the acceptability of the number of people at one time (PAOT) as depicted in the photographs. In order to test for order effects, respondents were separated into six groups where photograph presentation order differed for each group. Results from qualitative and quantitative analyses indicate photograph presentation order significantly affected photograph acceptability ratings. In order to test for range effects, respondents were divided into seven groups where PAOT range differed for each group. Results from qualitative and quantitative analyses indicate range significantly affected photograph acceptability ratings. Results from the investigations of order and range effects suggest a number of different principles that could be applied to future studies employing visual based methods. These principles are discussed along with future avenues of research that were uncovered through the course of the investigations of order and range effect biases.