10 The Impact of Design Environment Quality on Early Childhood Design Thinking Development: A Longitudinal Neuroimaging Study

Abstract

Background: Early  childhood  represents  a  critical  period  for  cognitive  development,  particularly  in  creative and  design  thinking  abilities.  While  previous  research  has  established  the  importance  of  environmental factors in general cognitive development, the specific impact of design-rich environments on design thinking capabilities remains understudied. This longitudinal study investigates how  design  environment  quality  influences  the  development  of  design  thinking  skills  in  early  childhood  through  comprehensive  behavioral and neuroimaging assessments.

Methods:  We  conducted  a  48-month  longitudinal  study  with  224  children  aged  6-48  months,  categorized   into high (n=111) and  low  (n=113)  design  environment  quality  groups  based  on  the  Design  Environment Quality Index (DEQI). Participants underwent comprehensive assessments including  the  Children's  Design Thinking  Assessment  Scale  (CDTAS),  Innovation  Cognitive  Ability  Test   (ICAT),  and  Visual-Spatial  Creativity Index (VSCI). Neuroimaging data were collected using structural and functional  MRI  to  examine  brain development patterns. Additionally, a randomized controlled  intervention  study  was  conducted  with  113 children from low design environment backgrounds.

Results:  Children  in  high  design  environment  quality   groups   demonstrated   significantly   superior performance across all cognitive measures (CDTAS: 72.6±13.6 vs 51.9±12.2, p<0.001, Cohen's d=1.604; ICAT: 56.3±10.8 vs 40.4±10.6, p<0.001, d=1.489; VSCI: 64.8±12.7 vs 47.2±11.8, p<0.001, d=1.428). Neuroimaging analyses revealed enhanced  functional  connectivity  in  creative  networks  (p<0.001)  and  increased  prefrontal and parietal cortex volumes in the high design environment group. Longitudinal growth trajectories showed accelerated development in design thinking abilities for children in enriched design environments. The early    design education intervention demonstrated significant improvements in design thinking scores (effect size d=0.676, p<0.001).