Maximizing learning: Lesson-related wall decorations support learning while unrelated decorations do not hinder it

During a lesson, children must pay attention to relevant information while they also have to ignore distractors. This study investigated attention in 36 neurotypical children (M = 8.5 years; 19 female, 17 male; 36 White) during the lesson with lesson-related decorations, with unrelated decorations, and with empty walls. Overt attention was recorded via eye-tracking glasses. Postlesson learning was measured directly after the lesson and 1 week later. Children looked more to the lesson-related compared with lesson-unrelated decorations, and more to the teacher when decorations were unrelated. Lesson learning was best with lesson-related decorations. Bayesian statistics confirmed similar learning scores between lesson-unrelated decorations and empty walls. This pattern of results was also observed a week later. Results indicate that successful attention control, which includes the ability to flexibly attend to lesson-relevant information in the learning environment, can boost learning in a classroom-like room. Irrelevant information did not impair learning in middle childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).