Abstract
It has been shown that exercise positively affects cognitive abilities, such as frontal functions and long-term memory processes. We tried to understand whether different exercises (i.e., an open-skill activity, a team game, vs. a closed-skill activity, a circuit) might specifically influence different short-term-memory (STM) subsystems of working memory. We examined the effect of a single bout of open- and closed-skill exercises on three STM tasks (i.e., verbal, visuo-spatial, and motor) in children attending the 3rd and 4th classes at primary school. One group was tested before and after (T0 and T1) an Italian class (control group), one group before and after 30-min exercise on a circuit, and one group before and after 30-min of a team game. The control group presented no improvement. The open-skill activity improved short-term memory performance in all the participants at T1 (p < 0.001 for children attending the 3rd class, and p = 0.007 for children attending the 4th class). In contrast, closed-skill activity improved short-term memory performance in older children (those attending the 4th class; p = 0.046) at T1. Importantly, this finding was found in a school setting and might have ecological validity. Therefore, the exercise protocol here used might help to structure specific training activities for both normal children and those with learning deficits to positively improve short-term memory abilities.
Highlights
It is well-known that exercise is associated with a reduction in physiological measures of stress, psychological measures of anxiety and depression, and elevations in mood states and psychological well-being [1]
This study investigated the effect of one bout of open- or closed-skill exercise on STM
This study extended our findings of the benefits of one bout of different types of physical activity to primary school children
Summary
It is well-known that exercise is associated with a reduction in physiological measures of stress, psychological measures of anxiety and depression, and elevations in mood states and psychological well-being [1]. Physical exercise and sport produce positive effects on arousal, improve attention [2,3,4,5], generally improve cognitive performance [6], with effect size being larger in children than in adults [7], and central high-level cognitive processes (e.g., problem-solving, working memory; [8,9] for a recent review). Research investigated the effect of acute exercise on simple cognitive tasks, such as simple and choice reaction time, and visual search in adults ([15], for a review); more recent research investigated working memory (WM) as it is more relevant for general cognitive functioning [10,16,17,18]. There is little research on acute exercise in children [11]
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