{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T09:05:55Z","timestamp":1777885555100,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2007,6,1]],"date-time":"2007-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1180656000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Percept Mot Skills"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2007,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Two studies are reported regarding the effects of entropy, lighting, and occlusion on impressions of mystery in physical environments. The theoretical context of this study was the \u201cinformational theory\u201d of environmental preference, which, among other claims, holds that mystery can be measured by the extent to which people perceive a promise of more information if they move deeper into an environment. Entropy, in the context of this article, is visual diversity as measured using information theory. Mystery was measured by a semantic differential scale. The definition of mystery was left up to each individual participant. Entropy of occluded objects was used to obtain an objective, experimentally manipulatable and operational definition of \u201cpromise of more information.\u201d Exp. 1 had 12 stimuli and 15 participants. Exp. 2 had 12 stimuli and 16 participants. Entropy of occluded objects ranged from 0 to 6 bits. Entropy of occluded objects was used to measure the promise that there would be more information if one moved deeper into an environment. Overall, amount of light had the strongest effect on responses of mystery ( r = \u2212.63, darker was more mysterious), followed by occlusion ( r = .26, occluding objects made a scene seem more mysterious), and by the promise of more information if one moved about in the scene ( r = .13), the more entropy in occluded objects, the greater the impression of mystery). The theoretical contribution of this work is that a relationship between subjective impressions of mystery and an objective measure of \u201cpromise of more information\u201d was found.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2466\/pms.104.3.691-701","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,8,7]],"date-time":"2008-08-07T18:14:37Z","timestamp":1218132877000},"page":"691-701","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Entropy and Environmental Mystery"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"104","author":[{"suffix":"III","given":"Arthur E.","family":"Stamps","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Environmental Quality"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2007,6,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-pms.104.3.691-701","volume-title":"Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.","author":"American Psychological Association.","year":"2001","edition":"5"},{"key":"bibr2-pms.104.3.691-701","volume-title":"Applications of information theory to psychology: A summary of basic concepts, methods, and results.","author":"Attneave F.","year":"1959"},{"key":"bibr3-pms.104.3.691-701","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/11164-000"},{"key":"bibr4-pms.104.3.691-701","first-page":"554","volume":"65","author":"Cadamajor J.","year":"1927","journal-title":"Revue Scientifique"},{"key":"bibr5-pms.104.3.691-701","volume-title":"Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences.","author":"Cohen J.","year":"1988"},{"key":"bibr6-pms.104.3.691-701","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/0471200611"},{"key":"bibr7-pms.104.3.691-701","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0272-4944(84)80019-5"},{"key":"bibr8-pms.104.3.691-701","volume-title":"Statistical methods for meta-analysis.","author":"Hedges L. 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