In university students, walks or sitting in natural settings after cognitive fatigue improve some attention and working memory measures, with null results for others¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · reviewr3·q3·i2–i3
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 i? In Hartig et al. (1991, Study 2), university students detected more proofreading errors after walking in a park than after relaxing in a lab or walking in an urban area. → Lucia Mason 2022
q3 i3 In Han (2017), backward digit span accuracy was greater after green exercise along both routes than before (g = 4.40), and spatial span accuracy was greater after green exercise than before (g = 2.95). → Lucia Mason 2022 (2)
q3 i2 In Bailey et al. (2018), Stroop response times were faster after walking in nature (g = 0.64), but backward digit span accuracy showed no benefit (g = 0.00). → 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 · i? · review · r3
Between-subjects experiment with N = 34 university students (Mage = 20 years) in the USA, comparing a 40-minute park walk after fatiguing tasks with passive relaxation in a lab and walking in an urban area. Table 3 reports more proofreading errors detected after the nature walk; the review marks the effect size as incomplete statistical information.
"More errors detected after walking in nature than in the other two conditions (c)"
Lucia Mason 2022 (2)¶
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 · i3 · review · r3
Between-subjects experiment with N = 116 Taiwanese university students (Mage = 20.8 years) comparing walking versus jogging along natural versus built campus routes. Table 3 reports Hedges' g of 4.40 for backward digit span accuracy after green exercise, and g of 2.95 for the forward spatial span test.
"Greater scores (accuracy) in the DST after green exercise along both routes than before (4.40)"
Lucia Mason 2022 (3)¶
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 experiment with N = 10 university students (Mage = 20 years) in the USA, comparing a 30-minute walk on a natural campus trail with walking in an aquatic recreation center after cognitive-fatigue tasks. Table 3 reports g = 0.64 for Stroop response time and g = 0.00 for backward digit span accuracy.
"Greater scores (response time) in the Stroop test after walking in nature (0.64a)"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Working Memory — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- In elementary school students, short-term green breaks restore attention and working memory, with effects on inhibition mixed — related
- In secondary school students, breaks with green views or walks in larger green spaces improve attention performance — related
- Classroom physical activity increases children's on-task behaviour, with no consistent gain on attention or other cognitive tests — related
- Acute cardio exercise improves executive functions, response time, and academic performance in children with ADHD — related
- In adults with ADHD, acute cardio exercise does not improve sustained attention but enhances mood and motivation — related
- Non-cardio exercise (yoga, tai chi, walking) shows predominantly positive but questionable acute and chronic effects in children with ADHD — related
- Short-term passive exposure to nature produces cognitive benefits in 12 of 14 reviewed studies across educational levels, mainly as directed attention restoration — a broader claim this one bears on
- Nature interventions improve working memory in school children relative to control conditions, for both immersive and passive exposures — related
- Short walks and green playtime improve selective attention in children and adolescents relative to urban or indoor comparisons — related
- Effects on sustained/selective attention are mixed across studies, with benefits in some green settings but no effect in others regardless of exposure duration — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
green-exposure-university-cognitive-benefits |
title |
In university students, walks or sitting in natural settings after cognitive fatigue improve some attention and working memory measures, with null results for others |
description |
In university students, walks or sitting in natural settings after cognitive fatigue improve some attention and working memory measures, with null results for others |
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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