Preference and Perceived Danger in Field/Forest Settings

The authors investigated preference, perceived danger, and fear for a sample of 70 field/forest settings. Predictor variables included perception-based variables (visual access, penetration, movement ease), information-based variables (mystery, concealment, refuge), and variables thought to intervene between concealment and danger (entrapment, rearview concern). All variables were rated by independent groups. Danger and fear were strongly positively correlated for these settings, but preference and danger had a more modest negative correlation. Factor analysis of the strongly intercorrelated predictor variables yielded two factors, interpreted as Visibility and Locomotor Access. Both factors were positive predictors of preference and negative predictors of danger. Further analyses suggested feelings of entrapment could mediate the positive relation between concealment and danger and that after controlling for other indicators of visibility, mystery has a positive relation to preference. In general, the role of visual and locomotor access in accounting for preference or danger reactions is highlighted by these findings.