The Influence of Spatial Openness on Acute Affect and Its Mechanisms

This study focuses on community outdoor natural environments encountered in residents’daily lives. Taking "spatial openness" as the core spatial attribute and combining it with mindfulness intervention as a health promotion method, the study adopts a 2×2 within-subjects experimental design and virtual reality technology. It aims to explore the patterns of influence that spatial openness and mindfulness intervention have on individuals’acute affect, while validating the mediating mechanism of "meditation experience–environmental perception." Additionally, the study intends to utilize neuroimaging tools to expand the exploration of mechanisms at the neural level. Using the community environment of Suzhou as a prototype, the study constructs virtual scenes where spatial openness is manipulated by controlling plant layout. Participants are recruited to complete experimental tasks, and electroencephalography (EEG) equipment is planned to collect process data. Data analysis will employ Linear Mixed Models (LMM) and Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) to elucidate variable relationships. This research not only supplements studies in the "Environment-Mindfulness-Affect" domain but also provides empirical support for future design of spatial openness and guidance of meditation behaviors, representing an interdisciplinary practical exploration of architectural environmental design, psychology, and public health.