College
College of Arts & Sciences
Mentor Information
Kristen Salomon
Description
Perceived task challenge is negatively associated with task performance. Exposure to natural environments has been shown to enhance cognitive functioning and improve performance. However, less is known about the robustness of these effects relative to other environments, particularly in the context of higher order cognition. In this secondary analysis, we investigated whether different types of environments influence perceived task challenge and objective performance, and whether environmental context moderates the relationship between challenge appraisal and performance. Sixty undergraduate students were recruited through the USF SONA system. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two environments: a natural environment or a built environment. Participants completed a word-association task. Participants then rated how challenging they perceived the task to be. Environments were examined as a moderator of the relationship between perceived challenge and task accuracy. Preliminary results indicate the overall regression model was significant, F(3,56) = 2.97, p = .040, accounting for 13.7% of the variance in task accuracy. Though the Challenge x Environment interaction was not significant (p = .088), simple slopes analyses indicated that a greater perceived challenge predicted lower task accuracy in the built environment, but not in the natural environment. Although the interaction did not reach statistical significance, simple slopes suggest a potential pattern in which built environments may strengthen the negative association between perceived challenge and creative problem-solving, whereas natural environments may attenuate this relationship. Future studies with larger samples are needed to determine whether environmental context reliably moderates the relationship between perceived challenge and cognitive performance.
Natural Versus Built Environments: A Secondary Analysis of Perceived Challenge and Creative Performance
Perceived task challenge is negatively associated with task performance. Exposure to natural environments has been shown to enhance cognitive functioning and improve performance. However, less is known about the robustness of these effects relative to other environments, particularly in the context of higher order cognition. In this secondary analysis, we investigated whether different types of environments influence perceived task challenge and objective performance, and whether environmental context moderates the relationship between challenge appraisal and performance. Sixty undergraduate students were recruited through the USF SONA system. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two environments: a natural environment or a built environment. Participants completed a word-association task. Participants then rated how challenging they perceived the task to be. Environments were examined as a moderator of the relationship between perceived challenge and task accuracy. Preliminary results indicate the overall regression model was significant, F(3,56) = 2.97, p = .040, accounting for 13.7% of the variance in task accuracy. Though the Challenge x Environment interaction was not significant (p = .088), simple slopes analyses indicated that a greater perceived challenge predicted lower task accuracy in the built environment, but not in the natural environment. Although the interaction did not reach statistical significance, simple slopes suggest a potential pattern in which built environments may strengthen the negative association between perceived challenge and creative problem-solving, whereas natural environments may attenuate this relationship. Future studies with larger samples are needed to determine whether environmental context reliably moderates the relationship between perceived challenge and cognitive performance.
