In elementary school students, short-term green breaks restore attention and working memory, with effects on inhibition mixed¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · review r3 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-21 (automated, 3 of 3 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q3 i2 In Berto et al. (2015), fourth and fifth graders showed higher CPT accuracy after a 90-minute walk in an alpine wood than after mindful silence (g = 0.44) or playing in the school courtyard (g = 1.16). → Lucia Mason 2022 q3 i? In Amicone et al. (2018), students restored sustained and selective attention after a garden break but no effects emerged for inhibition skill. → Lucia Mason 2022 (2) q3 i? In Mygind et al. (2018), no beneficial effects of sitting in a forest emerged on the d2 test of attention. → Lucia Mason 2022 (3)

Evidence¶

Lucia Mason 2022¶

Lucia Mason, Angelica Ronconi, Sara Scrimin, Francesca Pazzaglia. (2022). Short-Term Exposure to Nature and Benefits for Students' Cognitive Performance: a Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09631-8

q3 · i2 · review · r3

Within-subjects quasi-experimental study of N = 48 fourth and fifth graders (ages 9–11) in Italy, comparing a 90-minute alpine wood walk with mindful silence and courtyard play. The review's Table 1 reports Hedges' g of 0.44 versus mindful silence and 1.16 versus courtyard play for CPT accuracy.

"Greater scores (accuracy) in the CPT after walking in nature than sitting for mindful silence (0.44) and playing in the school courtyard (1.16)"

Lucia Mason 2022 (2)¶

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Quasi-experimental Study 1 with N = 82 fourth and fifth graders comparing a 30-minute recess in the school garden versus the built courtyard. The review reports significant attention restoration after the garden break and states "no effects emerged for inhibition skill."

"Results showed that only after the break in the garden, students restored their attention as the scores for sustained and selective attention were significantly higher after the contact with greenness."

Lucia Mason 2022 (3)¶

q3 · i? · review · r3

Within-subjects quasi-experimental study of N = 62 Danish fourth and fifth graders comparing sitting in a forest versus the classroom before a d2 test. The review reports no beneficial effects of the forest environment on d2 performance; practice effects occurred regardless of environment.

"After controlling for a number of variables, results showed no beneficial effects of the forestry environment on cognitive performance in d2 test as children had better scores the second time they executed the test, regardless of the environment"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Attention — outcome: instruction changes it
Working Memory — outcome: instruction changes it

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`green-breaks-elementary-attention-restoration`
`title`	`In elementary school students, short-term green breaks restore attention and working memory, with effects on inhibition mixed`
`description`	`In elementary school students, short-term green breaks restore attention and working memory, with effects on inhibition mixed`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`mixed`
`newest_evidence`	`2022`
`source_checked`	`2026-10-21`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-21`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	3 — `lucia-mason-2022`, `lucia-mason-2022-2`, `lucia-mason-2022-3`

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