Restoration of sustained attention following virtual nature exposure: Undeniable or unreliable?

• Published in: Journal of environmental psychology Vol. 71; p. 101488
• Main Authors: Hicks, Lydia J., Smith, Alyssa C., Ralph, Brandon C.W., Smilek, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2020
• Subjects: Attention; Attention restoration; Natural environments; Nature exposure; Sustained attention; Urban environments; Sustained attention; Attention restoration; Nature exposure; Natural environments; Attention; Urban environments
• ISSN: 0272-4944; 1522-9610
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101488

Building on a body of research examining the influence of natural versus urban images on attention, the purpose of the present study was to examine attention restoration with (1) a large sample size, (2) a broader image set that was more representative of typical natural and urban environments, and (3) an increased number of task trials to increase the likelihood of more thorough attentional depletion. In order to compare the restorative effects of natural versus urban images on attention, participants completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; a measure of sustained attention) before and after they viewed either natural or urban images. When compared to the urban condition, participants in the nature condition did not demonstrate improved performance in the post-image exposure SART. Bayesian analyses also indicated support for the null hypothesis. Thus, this study provides evidence that is inconsistent with the consensus view that images of natural settings restore attention more than images of urban settings. •Prior work suggests viewing images of nature (vs. urban) scenes improves attention.•The SART was completed before and after viewing either nature or urban scenes.•Viewing images of nature (vs. urban) settings did not improve attention performance.•Bayes factors also indicate strong support for the null hypotheses.