f restorative environments (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Being away, however, does not require the traversing of any great distance. It could be achieved simply by changing the “direction of one’s gaze” (Kaplan 1995, 173). Psychologically being away can be achieved by changing the usual cognitive content experienced (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989) and by engaging in thoughts or activities that are distinct from the everyday (Kaplan 2001b). There are three ways proposed to elicit “being away” psychologically (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989): removing distractions from the immediate environment, not completing usual work for a period, or ceasing the pursuit of certain purposes. The sense of being away is proposed to be strongest when all three are performed. Yet an environment that meets these three may not be restorative; it may be considered as confining and/or boring, such as a basement without a telephone (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Therefore, a restorative environment, while facilitating either Being Away physically or psychologically from the environment of everyday stressors, must be comprised of additional components. One such component is Extent.
ExtentFor an environment to have Extent, it must be “rich enough and coherent enough so that it constitutes a whole other world” (Kaplan 1995, 173). The sense of another world is congruent with the “Being Away” component just described. Extent, or the sense of a whole other world, is defined by the presence of / experience of two components: “connectedness” and “scope” (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Extent, via connectedness and scope, can pertain to the physical environment or to psychological processes. Connectedness is defined by a series of relationships between environmental features. That is, a connected environment is comprised of features that relate to each other and which, when considered as a set of features, are related to a larger environment (Hartig et al. 1997b; Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Scope refers to breadth and indicates there is more than the immediate environment available, either physically just out of sight or even within the imagination (Hartig et al. 1997b; Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Psychological examples include “debugging a computer program or repairing a car or producing a showpiece cake” (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989, 184); activities which can be absorbing to the point of an individual no longer being aware of their surroundings. Physical examples include both non-natural environments such as shopping malls, casinos and zoos, all designed to give a sense of a whole other world, as well as natural environments such as distant wilderness or trails and paths designed to give the illusion of small areas being larger (Kaplan 1995). Although not in relation to ART, perhaps this component is better explained by Cobb (1969): “The child’s sense of wonder, displayed as surprise and joy, is aroused as a response to the mystery of [the] stimulus [of nature] that promises more to come or, better still, more to do” (28). Such promises may draw children into environments, but for children to remain, the environment must be interesting, the third component.
FascinationElements of Extent elicit Fascination, another component of restorative environments. Fascinating elements can be comprised of physical stimuli within the environment such as “sex and violence, competition and cooperation” (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989, 184) or “animals, people, water, fire” (Herzog, Black, Fountaine, and Knotts 1997, 165). Fascination can also occur via cognitive involvement- i.e., processes such as learning (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989), story telling, or problem solving (Herzog et al. 1997).
The contribution of Fascination is crucial for two reasons. First, fascinating physical stimuli or cognitive processes are by definition interesting and therefore “attract people and keep them from getting bored” (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989, 184). Secondly, fascinating stimuli or processes do not require the use of conscious, effortful directed attention (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Fascination alone however, does not complete a restorati