Attention Restoration Theory II: systematic review of attention processes affected by exposure to natural environments

What the study found

Nature exposure showed small-to-moderate benefits for several executive-attention outcomes, with stronger signals for some measures and settings.

Limitations

Outcome heterogeneity and publication bias remain concerns.

Neurodesign interpretation

The useful design move is to stop saying 'nature restores attention' and start asking which part of the executive system changes after which kind of exposure.

Possible design implications

Match restorative design claims to working memory, flexibility or attentional-control measures rather than treating attention as one construct.

Why it stays in the corpus

Retain as the more granular ART synthesis.

Study design

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Population

Humans across 42 articles

Setting

Real and simulated natural environments

Field

Environmental psychology

Mechanism

Working memory, cognitive flexibility, attentional control

Spatial variable

Nature exposure

Keywords

nature, working memory, cognitive flexibility, attention

Notes and follow-up

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