Restoration of sustained attention following virtual nature exposure: Undeniable or unreliable?

Abstract

Building on previous research examining the influence of natural versus urban images on attention, the purpose of the present experiments was to examine attention restoration with (1) two large samples, (2) a broader image set that was more representative of typical natural and urban environments, and (3) an increased number of task trials to increase the likelihood of more thorough attentional depletion. In both experiments, participants completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; a measure of sustained attention) before and after they viewed either natural or urban images. When compared to the urban condition, participants in the nature condition did not demonstrate improved performance in the post-image exposure SART. Bayesian analyses also indicated support for the null hypothesis. These findings were replicated in the second experiment, which served to address some additional confounding issues within the stimulus set. These experiments provide evidence that is inconsistent with the foundational finding that images of natural settings are more restorative for attention than images of urban settings.