Natural Environment and Social Relationship in the Development of Attentional Network

Abstract

The attention mechanism is related to both voluntary and automatic processes, that may be summarized in three distinct networks: alert, orientation, and inhibitory control. These networks can be modulated by different contextual and relational situations. Aim of this review is to explain how a combination of natural and social stimuli can positively affect the attentional processes. It has been proposed that the exposition to natural environment can positively affect direct attention, a common resource supporting both executive functioning and self-regulation processes in cognition. It has been suggested that the decrease of the effort required to voluntary control attention from the bottom upwards could determine some internal reflection that may support creative thinking secondarily to a simultaneous reduction in the effort required to orient attention between thoughts and impressions. In my view, not only exposition to natural and green environment improves attentional processes but also the involvement in social relationship. The development of the orientation and inhibitory control networks is sensitive to the social nature of the stimuli, for instance, in a task, including socially relevant stimuli the efficiency of these two attentional networks increases in children, in adults and in elderly subjects. Social attention, starting very early in the life (joint attention) is a very important mechanism for the regulation of social relationships. A key for a better development of cognitive functions such as attentional processes is the promotion of the immersion in the natural environment and the involvement in social relationship.

The Effects of Contact With Nature During Outdoor Environmental Education on Students’ Wellbeing, Connectedness to Nature and Pro-sociality

“…Children's activity in natural environments has been associated with cognitive, physical, affective, and moral developmental positive outcomes and with children's levels of independence and autonomy (Adams and Savahl, 2017). Also, the experience of contact with nature may play a role in attentional processes (Taylor et al, 2001;Johnson et al, 2019;Federico, 2020) and in cognition and emotion functioning among pre-school and school children (Wells and Evans, 2003;Corraliza et al, 2012;Collado et al, 2013;Carrus et al, 2015a). School garden activities and outdoor play have shown a positive effect on children's self-esteem, wellbeing, and empathy (Dyg and Wistoft, 2018;Sando, 2019).…”

The Effects of Social Processing and Role Type on Attention Networks: Insights from Team Ball Athletes

“…The process by which we are able to infer another person’s attentional focus by the direction of their gaze is defined as social attention [ 17 ]. In a recent review, Federico [ 18 ] stated that social-information processing influences attentional abilities [ 19 , 20 , 21 ] and is an important factor in individuals’ adaptation to their surrounding environment. Social signals are primarily communicated through faces, and gaze-direction processing is crucial for socialization.…”

Funcionamiento de las redes atencionales en la adultez joven y el nivel de educación

“…Ahora bien, las redes atencionales son sistemas dinámicos que pueden cambiar a lo largo del tiempo tanto a nivel de estructura cerebral como en su funcionamiento. Estos cambios pueden ser producto de diversas influencias, tales como los factores ambientales y ontogenéticos, entre los más importantes (Federico, 2020;McCormick, 2022;Posner et al, 2015;Rueda et al, 2015). Como factor ambiental, la educación parece jugar un papel de gran importancia sobre el desempeño atencional (Posner & Rothbart, 2005;Rodrigues & Zimmer, 2016); mientras que, a nivel ontogenético, determinadas etapas del desarrollo han demostrado tener una gran influencia sobre varias funciones ejecutivas, incluyendo las redes atencionales (O'Connell & Basak, 2018;Williams et al, 2016;Zhou et al, 2011).…”