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Attention Restoration Theory (ART) asserts that people can concentrate better after spending time in nature, or even looking at scenes of nature. Natural environments abound with "soft fascinations" which a person can reflect upon in "effortless attention", such as clouds moving across the sky, leaves rustling in a breeze or water bubbling over rocks in a stream. The theory was developed by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in the 1980s in their book ''The experience of nature: A psychological perspective'',〔The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. By Kaplan S. in Journal of Environmental Psychology 1995, v.15, pp169-182.〕 and has since been found by others to hold true in medical outcomes as well as intellectual task attention, as described below. Berman et al. discuss the foundation of the Attention Restoration Theory (ART). "ART is based on past research showing the separation of attention into two components: involuntary attention, where attention is captured by inherently intriguing or important stimuli, and voluntary or directed attention, where attention is directed by cognitive-control processes." 〔Berman, Mare G et al. "The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature", Psychological Science, Vol 19. Num 12. Michigan, 28 May 2008. Retrieved on 2012-09-16.〕 ==Directed attention== Attention Restoration Theory describes a person as being in several states of attention: * Directed attention * Directed attention fatigue * Effortless attention * Restored attention Tasks that require mental effort draw upon "directed attention". People must expend effort to achieve focus, to delay expression of inappropriate emotions or actions, and to inhibit distractions. That is, they must concentrate on the higher task, avoiding distractions. Performing the actual task also requires other knowledge and skills. In ''Peopleware'', a book on office work, Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister report that in an office environment, workers may take 15 minutes to achieve this state of ''flow'' in their concentration, and that it will be destroyed in a moment by an interruption such as a telephone call. The task may be fascinating so that it allows "effortless attention", or may have sufficient scope to sustain interaction without boredom, or may simply be more compatible with a person's interests. However, after a period of directed attention, people begin to suffer "directed attention fatigue". They become distracted, irritable, impatient. They become less effective in performing their tasks. Attention may be "restored" by changing to a different kind of task that uses different parts of the brain,〔〔 as in the familiar idiom "a change is as good as a rest". Alternatively, exposure to natural environments and wilderness has psychological benefits including attention restoration. Nature has an abundance of fascinating objects. "Soft fascinations" such as clouds in the sky or leaves rustling in a breeze, gain our attention relatively effortlessly and are compatible with our wants and needs. This is by comparison to snakes and spiders, which gain our attention out of fear.〔Ulrich, R.S.; Simons, R.F.; Losito, B.D.; Fiorito, E.; Miles, M.A.; Zelson, M. Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. J. Environ. Psychol. 1991, 11, 201-230.〕 The Biophilia hypothesis argues that people are instinctively enthusiastic about nature and both Fuller et al.〔Fuller, R. A., Irvine, K. N., Devine-Wright, P., Warren, P. H., & Gaston, K. J. (Psychological benefits of greenspace increase with biodiversity. ), Biology letters, 3(4), 390-394.〕 and Irvine et al.〔Irvine, K. N., Warber, S. L., Devine-Wright, P., & Gaston, K. J. (2013) (Understanding urban green space as a health resource: A qualitative comparison of visit motivation and derived effects among park users in Sheffield ) International journal of environmental research and public health, 10(1), 417-442.〕 Suggest that the positive psychological effect increases as the perceived biodiversity of the landscape increases. After spending some time of effortless attention to soft fascinations removed from their day to day tasks, people may have a chance to reflect. This brings a "restorative" benefit which allows further attention. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「attention restoration theory」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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