Can physical activity immediately increase attention span and verbal working memory in adolescents: an empirical study

Abstract

Background. There is a large body of empirical evidence supporting the positive effects of systematic exercise on cognitive development of children and adolescents. However, the results on the immediate effect of physical activity on cognitive functions (in particular attention and memory) which can potentially come immediately after exercise, are practically lacking or quite contradictory. Objective. The study had its purpose to investigate the immediate effect of physical activity on the measures of attention span and working memory capacity in adolescents. Study Participants. The study involved 190 schoolchildren (54% girls) aged 13–17 (M = 14.73, SD = 1.61) from several regions of Russian Federation. Methods. The “Schulte's tables” were used for diagnostics of attention stability. Working memory scores were measured by means of “Memorization of 10 words”. Results. Comparison of averages demonstrated no significant differences in the indicators of attention stability before and after physical activity (t = 9401, p = 0.131). In contrast, working memory indices were significantly lower after exercise (W = 7257, p < 0.001). Apart from that, girls were shown to memorize and reproduce on average more material than boys. Conclusions. Thus, the obtained results indicate that there is no immediate positive effect of physical activity on the attention span and working memory capacity in adolescents. This may mean that the relationship between the indicators of attention stability, working memory capacity and physical activity is more complex and nonlinear, which requires further study.

Keywords

• cognitive function
• attention
• working memory
• physical activity
• adolescence