Effects of an aerobic fitness test on short- and long-term memory in elementary-aged children

ABSTRACT

Meta-analytic evidence supports that exercise has benefits for short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). However, only three studies with children have tested the differential effects of exercise on STM and LTM. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an aerobic fitness test on STM and LTM and to consider the moderating effects of grade level. Children (7–13 years of age) were randomly assigned to either perform an aerobic fitness test before (exercise prior) or after (exercise post) performing the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) to assess memory. Memory was tested again after approximately 24 hours. There were significant differences in memory performance as a function of grade with 4^th and 6^th graders consistently outperforming 2^nd graders. For learning, Day 1 Retention, 24-hr recall, and Day 2 Retention, the exercise prior group performed better than the exercise post group. It is concluded that an aerobic fitness test performed prior to a declarative memory test benefits LTM as compared to when the aerobic fitness test is performed after the memory test.

KEYWORDS:

• Verbal memory
• exercise
• physical activity
• cognition
• cognitive performance

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the administration, faculty, and families at Greensboro Day School for their assistance with and participation in this research. The authors also want to thank Lauren Bennett, Anthony Bocchine, Chelsea Burrell, Jordan Long, and Wade Rothrock for their assistance with data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.