The Influence of Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Community Type on Visuospatial Attention Scores in Young Adulthood

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between various childhood experiences and young adult visuospatial attention scores. In particular, this study investigated factors such as where participants grew up (rural or urban community), childhood socio- economic status (SES) and how these factors relate to cognitive control, i.e., control of attention and impulsivity, in young adulthood. The sample consisted of 84 college students. There was no direct relationship between SES and visuospatial attention; however, there was a significant interaction with type of community such that young adults raised in low-SES families in rural communities had lower scores than those raised in low-SES families in urban communities. There were also findings indicating a direct and positive relationship between green space around participant homes and visuospatial attention, which prompts further research into the relationship between various types of nature exposure in childhood and both visuospatial attention and working memory in young adulthood.