Effects of Acute Physical Activity on Sustained Attention - the possible influence of Natural Environments

Abstract

The aim of the current thesis was to investigate the effects of acute physical activity on sustained attention, indoors versus outdoors in natural environments. The current study is based on an integration of nature exposure-cognition field (Kaplan, 1989), and the acute physical activity-cognition field (Easterbrook, 1959; Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). In the current study, a between-subjects experiment was conducted. Participants (N=20) were randomly assigned to either an outdoors condition (n=10) or an indoors condition (n=10). A Deary-Liewald Choice Reaction Time (CRT) task, which constituted a measure of sustained attention, was conducted prior to (pretest), and immediately following (posttest) 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity. In addition, participants did conduct two standardized questionnaires that pictured participants’ physical activity routines and connectedness to nature. The findings indicate that in both groups, acute physical activity in general, appeared to have a positive influence on sustained attention performance, regarding speed of processing. Of significant findings was an improvement on the posttest on accuracy of responding, within the outdoors group. However, the findings show that acute physical activity in natural environments doesn’t provide any “added” effect on sustained attention, when comparing change between pretest and posttest of the CRT task between the groups. Keywords: Acute physical activity, sustained attention, indoors, natural environments