Differential Associations of Residential Greenspace and Built‐Up Exposure With Children's Executive Function Components: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Research increasingly links neighborhood environments to children's cognition; however, whether residential greenspace and built‐up exposure show different associations across executive function (EF) components in middle childhood remains unclear. Using a cross‐sectional design, we examined these associations in 1446 Chinese children aged 8–11 years. Residential greenspace and built‐up exposure were quantified within 300‐m residential buffers using land‐cover data. EF was assessed using tasks indexing working memory (span and updating), response inhibition, conflict inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. Linear mixed‐effects models and complementary network analyses, both accounting for measured covariates, were used to characterize exposure‐EF associations. Greenspace exposure showed the clearest and most consistent positive associations with working memory measures and was also associated with better cognitive flexibility; associations with inhibition were less consistent. Built‐up exposure showed a more limited pattern of inverse associations, concentrated primarily in working memory. Across both analytical approaches, working memory emerged as the EF component most consistently associated with residential environmental exposure. This cross‐method convergence highlights the importance of considering domain‐specific patterns in environment‐cognition associations and suggests that child‐focused neighborhood planning may benefit from considering greenspace and built‐up exposure jointly.