Investigating the benefits of viewing nature for components of working memory capacity

Abstract

Prior work regarding nature's benefits to different working memory capacity processes is mixed within the existing literature. These mixed results may be due to an emphasis on tasks rather than focusing on construct validity and the underlying mental processes they are intended to measure. When considering underlying process, all might be sensitive to the benefits of nature or perhaps only specific processes of working memory capacity will receive these benefits. Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan, 1995) would specifically predict that attentional control is the most likely process to benefit from interacting with nature. To address this possibility, three studies investigated whether working memory capacity and its component processes of attentional control, primary memory, and secondary memory benefit from viewing nature images. Montana State University students completed two tasks with a nature or urban image viewed before a block of trials that measured either working memory capacity (Experiment 1), attentional control (Experiment 2), or primary/secondary memory (Experiment 3). Results revealed higher performance after viewing nature images compared to urban images for attentional control but not for working memory capacity or either of its underlying memory components. These results are discussed with respect to the importance of current psychometric standards of measuring behavior when investigating the potential influence of nature on cognition.