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4 publications listed under Presence

Coding Manual for “Wilder Interaction with Nature Predicts Deeper Presence: Toward a Human-Centered Sustainability Indicator Beyond Exposure”

2026 / Presence

The coding manual in this report codes two separate dimensions of people’s accounts of an experience in nature: the depth of Presence they experienced, and the wildness of their interaction with nature. We developed it in a study of 44 adults interviewed about an experience of Presence in nature. Presence is a state of being in which conditioned thinking subsides and the mind becomes open, aware, non-reactive, and still (Kahn et al., 2026). The first part, Presence Levels Coding, describes ten ordered Levels of Presence, from thought-immersed distraction (Level 1) to states described in contemplative traditions (Levels 9 and 10), with definitions, prototypical examples, vignettes, explanatory factors, and a coder cheat-sheet. The second part, Wildness Levels Coding, specifies two measures grounded in the Interaction Pattern approach: the wildness of interaction an environment affords (Maximum IP Wildness) and the wildness of interaction a participant actually enacted (Enacted IP Wildness), together with contextual factors, decision rules, and exemplar cases. A final section explains how to construct the synthesis blocks, the narrative summaries of interview transcripts on which coding was based. Our goal is to make these methods available so that others can use, test, adapt, and build on them.

Presence Scale Technical Report: Iterative Conceptualization, Psychometrics, and Validity Evidence

2026 / Health and well-being, Presence

This technical report details the four-year process through which we developed and completed an initial validation of the Presence Scale (see Appendix K or Table 20 for the finalized scale). The Presence Scale is a 14-item self-report measure of Presence, a hierarchical construct composed of three factors: Stillness of Mind, Present Moment Awareness, and Consciousness Beyond Self. Our goal in creating the Presence Scale was to have a self-report measure from which we can draw inferences about the degree to which a person experienced Presence during a recalled experience or, eventually, following an experimental condition or immediately after an experience in everyday life. Our formal definition of Presence and its three factors are provided below: Presence is the state of being in which conditioned thinking ceases, and the mind is open, aware, non-reactive, and still; and often a witness of itself. In this state, one can experience one’s consciousness as expanding, and one’s self as becoming part of something larger than the self. Presence is the mind attuned. Subject, not object. Life affirming. Stillness of Mind occurs when discursive thinking subsides and the mind is clear, calm, and settled. Present Moment Awareness occurs when one is open to and aware of the now, of the present moment, of being, even if one is involved in activity. Consciousness Beyond Self occurs when one’s consciousness seems to expand beyond the confines of the body and mind, and potentially the self merges—one experiences becoming One—with another entity or realm. The formal presentation of Presence and the core empirical evidence supporting the validity of the Presence Scale are reported in Kahn et al. (in press). This technical report provides the comprehensive methodological and empirical foundation underlying those findings as well as supplemental validity evidence. Here, we document the entire scale development process, including conceptual iterations, pilot studies, factor analyses, and item-level psychometric evaluation that extend beyond the scope of the journal article (see Figure 1 for an overview). Through providing transparent information about our scale development process, this report serves as a resource for researchers who wish to evaluate the Presence Scale and implement it with fidelity in their own work.

The Importance of (Not Just Visual) Interaction With Nature: A Study With the Girl Scouts

2025 / Children, Presence, Scouts

This study investigated whether children’s nature interactions that are embodied (versus only visual) would be associated with a state of being highly aware without thought, including being in “the present moment,” and/or feeling connected to something beyond the self. We refer to this state of being as Presence in nature. Using an interaction pattern approach, we coded written narratives from 127 Girl Scouts (8-11 years old) about a recent meaningful nature experience and, through a questionnaire designed for the study, assessed the degree to which participants experienced Presence in that nature experience. Exploratory analyses indicated that participants who enacted embodied interactions with nature (e.g., “making snowman,” “wrapping arms around tree,” “talking to chickens”) reported a greater sense of Presence in nature than participants whose interactions relied solely on vision (e.g., “seeing snow,” “seeing moss,” “watching pileated woodpecker”). Discussion focuses on the implications of Girl Scouts’ embodied nature interactions for environmental education. Related Media Q&A: UW Researchers Examine Mental Impact of Girl Scouts’ Interactions With Nature (April 21, 2025)

Coding Manual for a Study With the Girl Scouts of Western Washington on the Importance of (Not Just Visual) Interaction With Nature

2022 / Children, Presence, Scouts

Linked vs. Non-Linked Nature Description: Coding Example #1 This technical report provides our coding manual – our systematic method to code the qualitative narrative data – from a study of Girl Scouts’ meaningful nature experiences. Other authors on this study (but not on this coding manual) include Joshua J. Lawler, Pooja S. Tandon, Gregory N. Bratman, Sara P. Perrins, and Frances Boyens. Our research question was whether children’s nature interactions that are embodied (vs. only visual) would be associated with eudemonic wellbeing. Using the interaction pattern approach detailed in this coding manual, we coded written narratives from 127 Girl Scouts (8-11 years old) about a recent meaningful nature experience, and, through a novel questionnaire, assessed Presence, a eudemonic state of wellbeing. A total of 372 interactions patterns were coded from the Girl Scouts’ written narratives. Participants who enacted embodied interactions with nature (e.g., “making snowman,” “wrapping arms around tree,” “talking to chickens”) experienced a greater sense of Presence than participants whose interactions relied solely on vision (e.g., “seeing snow,” “seeing moss,” “watching pileated woodpecker”). This technical report provides open access to our core intellectual qualitative work on this project, and can be used by others seeking to employ an interaction pattern approach, or more generally seeking to characterize people’s interactions with nature.