Although the restorative effects of classroom environments are well-documented, the mechanisms underlying semi-outdoor environments near classrooms (SENC), particularly with respect to exposure duration, remain unclear. This study examined the cognitive/neural effects of SENC using the Classroom Veranda Wandering Test (CVWT) and electroencephalograph (EEG). Seventy participants were randomly assigned to either a 5-min ( n = 35) or 10-min ( n = 35) exposure group in a between-subjects design, and cognitive performance was assessed before and after exposure in a within-subjects design. The results showed that SENC significantly improved cognitive performance, as indicated by reduced reaction times in the Spatial Memory Span Test (SMST). Mechanistically, SENC exposure was associated with increased α , β , and θ wave activity during exposure ( p 0.01) and further elevations in β and θ waves during the posttest ( p 0.05), indicating enhanced attention and cognitive control. Although both exposure durations facilitated restoration, the 10 min condition produced significantly greater benefits ( p 0.05). These findings provide empirical evidence for optimizing break-time management and integrating SENC as cognitive restoration spaces in campus design to enhance learning efficacy.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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