Abstract
Retrieving a subset of items from memory can cause forgetting of other related items in memory, referred to as retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF). This type of forgetting (RIF) is thought to be related to working memory and executive control processes, of which are known to be influenced by acute exercise. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether acute exercise could accentuate RIF. A two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled intervention was employed. Participants (N = 40) were randomized into one of two groups, including an experimental group (15-min of moderate-intensity exercise) and a control group (time-matched seated task). Retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) and retrieval practice (RP) were assessed from a category-exemplar memory task. There was no significant main effect for RIF and no group by RIF interaction, suggesting that acute exercise did not alter RIF more than the control group. There was a significant main effect for RP, but there was no group by RP interaction. These RP findings align with the RIF findings, indicating that acute exercise did not alter RP more so than the control group. In conclusion, our experimental results do not provide support for an association of acute exercise on retrieval-induced forgetting or retrieval practice.
Highlights
Among young adults, emerging experimental work has started to examine the effects of exercise on memory function
As recommended elsewhere [5], the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether acute exercise was associated with retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF), written as a brief report
Based on this, coupled with evidence that exercise may enhance executive control [14,15,16], we explored whether acute exercise could facilitate RIF
Summary
Among young adults, emerging experimental work has started to examine the effects of exercise on memory function. This accumulating body of work provides suggestive evidence that acute exercise may enhance memory function [1,2,3,4]. The mechanisms through which exercise may influence memory function has been extensively detailed by our group [6,7,8,9,10] Such effects may include, for example, exercise-induced alterations in neuronal excitability, growth factor production, and modulation of key hormones (e.g., IGF-1). Research demonstrates that retrieving a subset of items from memory can cause forgetting of other related items in memory [11] This phenomenon is referred to as retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF). We positioned the exercise stimulus to occur shortly before the memory task, as emerging work demonstrates that this is the optimal time to exercise [3,12,13]
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