The mediator's understanding of the environment's effect on affect

This study considered the effects of the mediation environment on the mood and behavior of individuals involved in mediation. The problem presented was that mediators do not appear to be informed on the effects of the environment on the mood and behavior of clients. The focus of the research was to discover what practicing mediators understand about the effects of the five attributes of the mediation environment, the lighting, fragrances, sounds, room decor, and pre-session diet and exercise which have been shown to have varying degrees of influence on an individual's affect, as well as having a cumulative effect on that affect. The literature review provides significant information on what is currently understood through research about the effects of the environment on an individual's affect, information which was used as a baseline for understanding actions utilized by the mediators A descriptive case study methodology was used for research with mediators from the Dispute Resolution Center of Oneonta New York, and mediators associated with the John Jay School of Law in New York City's internet list-serve, who were questioned to discover any practices employed to mitigate client mood and behavior. From the mediator's rich descriptions, an understanding of the mediator's knowledge on the subject of the effects of the environment on affect was gained. The research showed an absence of information for both mediators and mediation agencies about the effects of the environment on client affect. More experienced mediators demonstrated an awareness that environment did have an effect on affect, yet lacked an understanding of the cause those effects. Most mediators reported having no ability to control the environmental attributes, and no awareness of the values of doing so. This study will add to the current knowledge of mediators to mitigate negative affect.