Adults demonstrate aesthetic preferences for natural environments over urban ones; children aged 4–11 years do not show that preference for nature; there is a gradual development of that preference

The gradual development of the preference for natural environments. Kimberly L. Meidenbauer et al. Journal of Environmental Psychology, July 24 2019, 101328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101328

Highlights
• Children aged 4–11 years do not show the preference for nature found in adults.
• With age, children's preferences for urban over natural environments decrease.
• More nearby nature is associated with fewer attention problems in children.
• The observed attentional benefits are unrelated to the children's preferences.
• Children's preferences were not linked to their home, school or play environments.

Abstract: Adults demonstrate aesthetic preferences for natural environments over urban ones. This preference has influenced theories like Biophilia to explain why nature is beneficial. While both adults and children show cognitive and affective benefits after nature exposure, it is unknown whether children demonstrate nature preferences. In the current study, 4-to-11-year-old children and their parents rated their preferences for images of nature and urban scenes. Parents' preferences matched those of a normative adult sample. However, children demonstrated robust preferences for urban over natural environments, and those urban preferences significantly decreased with age. Nature exposure around the home and nature-related activities, as reported by parents, did not predict children's preferences. Children with more nearby nature, however, had lower reported inattentiveness, but interestingly, this was unrelated to children's preferences for nature. These results provide an important step into future research on the role of preference in how children and adults benefit from nature.

Keywords: Nature preferencesChild developmentNature exposureAttention restoration theoryBiophiliaAestheticsCognition