Awareness of a small business neighborhood was studied by driving 40 college students through a 1.7-mile route. Twenty other students received no ride. Half of each group had a high frequency of previous exposure to the area (mean number of times in the area = 159.9) and the other half had low frequency (mean = 5.3). The ride significantly increased the number of items mentioned in a free recall task and the number of pictures positively identified in a recognition task. Previous exposure to the area affected only recognition. The kinds of things recalled and recognized are discussed in terms of a utilitarian versus aesthetic orientation to the environment.
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