Year of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Clinical Psychology

Department or School/College

Department of Psychology

Committee Co-chair

Stuart Hall, Rachel Williamson

Commitee Members

Duncan Campbell, Allen Szalda-Petree, Maegan Rides at the Door

Keywords

Cognition, Nature, Prospective memory

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

There is a need for brief, accessible interventions to improve cognitive functioning, including prospective memory. Previous research has found that exposure to nature is linked to benefits for cognition and mood, including improved executive function, working memory, creativity, attention, and mood. However, there is a dearth of literature exploring the relationship between nature exposure and prospective memory. Additionally, benefits for cognition and mood have been observed with direct nature exposure and indirect exposure through videos and images. The present study sought to evaluate the impact of natural setting versus urban setting video exposure on prospective memory, creativity, hope, and affect. Data was gathered from 122 participants, and data included participants’ demographics and scores on tests of prospective memory, creativity, affect, and hope. Participants were quasi-randomly assigned to either the natural setting or urban setting group. All participants were asked to watch a 20-minute video of either a natural or urban setting, immediately followed by a battery of tests. Results indicated a statistically significant difference between groups on time-based and event-based prospective memory scores, with participants in the natural setting group demonstrating better performance. No significant differences were found between groups for creativity, affect, or hope. The observed benefits to prospective memory are novel and contribute to a growing body of literature outlining benefits of nature exposure on cognitive function. The present study also contributes to existing literature supporting the use of video exposure to nature to improve cognition. Overall, the current study demonstrates the feasibility of a brief, accessible intervention, through video exposure to nature, to improve prospective memory.

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© Copyright 2024 Emily Catherine Hicks