Short walks and green playtime improve selective attention in children and adolescents relative to urban or indoor comparisons¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr3·q2
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · 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.
q2 i? Studies using fish flanker-type tasks (CAST, ANT), the Bells Test and the Necker Cube task reported significant positive effects on selective attention after 20–30 min nature exposure, though Stevenson et al. found no improvement in executive attention. → Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick · Krystyna Gilowska 2022
Evidence¶
Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick · Krystyna Gilowska 2022¶
Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick · Krystyna Gilowska. (2022). Effects of Nature (Greenspace) on Cognitive Functioning in School Children and Adolescents: a Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:1217–1254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09658-5
q2 · i? · review · r3
The review reports two quasi-experiments: Johnson et al. found "a small positive effect" for children aged 8–15 after a forested-trail walk, and Stevenson et al. found positive effects for speed and stability of responses in children aged 10–14, with "no improvement in executive attention".
"Two studies (Johnson et al., 2019 and Stevenson et al., 2019) using similar computer attention tests based on the fish flanker task, reported a significant positive effect on selective attention performance after a 30-min walk in a natural environment with trees."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Attention — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Nature interventions improve working memory in school children relative to control conditions, for both immersive and passive exposures — related
- In university students, walks or sitting in natural settings after cognitive fatigue improve some attention and working memory measures, with null results for others — related
- In secondary school students, breaks with green views or walks in larger green spaces improve attention performance — related
- School-garden playtime showed no significant effect on impulse control in primary school children — related
- In elementary school students, short-term green breaks restore attention and working memory, with effects on inhibition mixed — 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 |
nature-walk-improves-selective-attention |
title |
Short walks and green playtime improve selective attention in children and adolescents relative to urban or indoor comparisons |
description |
Short walks and green playtime improve selective attention in children and adolescents relative to urban or indoor comparisons |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2022 |
source_checked |
2026-10-22 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — dianne-a-vella-brodrick-krystyna-gilowska-2022 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.