Restorative environments' influence on cognitive flexibility in developing adults

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Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Health
Department Parks, Recreation, & Tourism
Author Rose, Anniken
Title Restorative environments' influence on cognitive flexibility in developing adults
Date 2011-05
Description Natural environments have been shown to have many psychological benefits for the human psyche. Among these benefits are mental stress reduction, positive emotional impacts, and attention restoration. Cognitive Flexibility is the ability to alternate perspectives due to changing situational demands. This ability is helpful in stopping habitual thought processes and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore restorative environments‘ impact on one‘s ability to be cognitively flexible. Sixty-three undergraduates at the University of Utah completed a pre- and postassessment of the Attention Network Test and viewed a 13-minute film of either urban or natural type environments between assessment points. Factorial ANOVA was utilized to explore between-group differences. Results show individuals in the urban condition had significantly faster response times when assessing congruent trials (where flexibility is not needed) than those in the natural condition. Though there was no evidence that natural environments quickened flexible responses, there is some indication that urban environments may perpetuate habitual ones.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Adult development; Cognitive flexibility; Environmental psychology; Natural environment; Recreation therapy; Restorative environment
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Anniken Rose 2011
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 795,701 bytes
Identifier us-etd3,14906
Source original in Marriott Library Special Collections ; BF21.5 2011 .R67
ARK ark:/87278/s6p56373
Setname ir_etd
ID 194526
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6p56373
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