THE EFFECTS OF PROCESSING FLUENCY ON RESTORATIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) maintains that directed attention, a type of attention that requires effort, is a resource that is susceptible to fatigue after prolonged use. This directed attention fatigue, commonly known as mental fatigue, is a factor linked to performance and safety decline in the workplace. Many studies have found that contact with nature promotes restoration from directed attention fatigue; however, there is little research on how nature has this effect. The aim of the present study was to explore whether natural environments have restorative potential given their higher degree of processing fluency. College students (N=78) were mentally fatigued by performing a sustained attention task. Then they viewed a natural photograph or urban photograph presented in various degrees of fluency (manipulated via visual clarity) and performed the sustained attention task again. Mood ratings were also examined. In line with ART, participants who viewed the natural environment photograph showed a larger improvement in the sustained attention task compared to those who saw the urban environment photograph; however, this was not influenced by fluency levels. Mood ratings were also not influenced by the type of environment or fluency levels. The research promotes the exploration of specific mechanisms underlying restorative environments which in turn would provide landscape designers, spatial planners, and employers a basis for green designs and interventions.