OCR Text |
Show 106 Ashley L. Pyne college of social & behavioral science According to attention restoration theory (ART), there are two forms of attention, executive and involun-tary, which are distinguished by the amount of cognitive effort required for each. Urban environments are filled with a large number of stimuli constantly competing for executive attention, goal-directed and effortful to maintain, which eventually fatigue and compromises this essential cognitive ability (Kaplan & Berman, 2010). To restore executive attention one needs to escape to an environment that elicits invol-untary attention, automatic and effortless. Specifically, ART researchers suggest natural settings are the purest form of involuntary attention, as features of the environment automatically capture and sustain our attention (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). Cognitive psychologists are now examining the effects of nature, applying their expertise in attentional processes to research concerning ART. The current study sought to extend our understanding of why nature has been shown to have cognitive benefits and in what ways that benefit is best found. It remains unclear from prior research in the cognitive field if the effects of nature would generalize to other tests of executive attention, (i.e., OSPAN) and if variations in the nature interaction (i.e., videos) would alter restor-ative effects. We believed the 16- minute videos rather than still images would provide full immersion in an environment while maintaining a high level of experimental control (unlike outdoor walks). We used the automated version of the OSPAN task as a pre/post measure, which requires participants to solve a series of math problems while concurrently trying to remember a set of letters presented in a cued recall period (Unsworth et al., 2005). Based on previous studies, we predicted performance on the OSPAN to improve from test1 to test2 significantly more for participants in the nature condition versus urban. However, a 2 (nature v. urban intervention) X 2 (OSPAN before and after) ANOVA revealed no significant interaction, such that OSPAN scores increased equivalently for both conditions, F(1,62)=.18, p=.68. Nota-bly, OSPAN scores increased in general from pre-test (41) to the post-test (48), F(1,62)=27.81, p<.001. Our null findings suggest the need for refining methodology within a laboratory setting to demonstrate the restorative effects of nature. Kaplan, S., & Berman, M.G. (2010). Directed attention as a common resource for executive functioning and self-regulation. Psychological Science, 5, 43-57. Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Unsworth, N., Heitz, R.P., Schrock, J.C., & Engle R.W. (2005). An automated version of the operation span task. Behavior Research Methods, 37, 498-505. THE EFFECTS OF NATURE AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS ON WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY Ashley L. Pyne, (A. Eve Miller, Jason M. Watson, David L. Strayer) Department of Psychology University of Utah UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Jason M. Watson |