'Situational factors affect behaviour in retail/leisure environments; individual factors do not.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? Use examples of research you have studied to support your answer.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2019). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [12] Marks: use generic levels of response in table C.
2. [12] Syllabus: retail/leisure environment design b leisure environments (Finlay et al., 2006)
3. [12] Most likely (any other appropriate responses should be credited): Situation/agree: according to Kranes's playground model, casinos should include environmental elements designed to induce pleasure, legibility, and restoration.
4. [12] Finlay et al. write 'emotional reactions to the casinos were collected from 22 people who had gambled in all six casinos. Kranes-type casinos yielded significantly higher ratings than did Friedman type casinos on pleasure and restoration (relief from environmental stress).
5. [12] future research should focus on design variations that can be built into a Friedman-type setting to enhance restoration.
6. [12] research by Turley and Milliman also show many 'atmospherics' influence shopper behaviour.
7. [12] this is environmental determinism
8. [12] Individual/disagree: the 'situation' does not automatically influence all people (it isn't 100% effect). Some people remain an 'individual' seeing a leisure environment as fulfilling a function and nothing more.
9. [12] the Friedman design of gambling environments support the above comment: people go to gamble and nothing more.
10. [12] to study just situational variables is reductionist. Holistic approaches need to take into account structural and individual explanations also.