Exercise and memory

Date
1983
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine whether prior exercise had an influence on one's ability to memorize and recall a consonant vowel consonant (CVe) word list. Thirty college students were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Prior to learning the eve list the control group did no exercise, the easy and moderate exercise groups pedalled a bicycle ergometer for ten minutes at an intensity which would raise the heart rate to 110-120 beats per minute and 130-140 beats per minute, respectively. Short term recall was measured immediately after learning the eve list, and long term recall was measured after a five minute mathematical distractor task was performed. An analysis of covariance design was used to test for significance. Results showed that exercise, regardless of intensity, provided for superior performance of letter recall (p <-05). It was determined that recall time increased with exercise (p < .05). There were no significant differences between short and long term recall. A chi square analysis on the number of words recalled showed no significant differences. Overall results of this study support the "inverted U hypothesis of activation" namely, that an optimal amount of tension exists for performance on recall of a eve word list. Deviation from this optimal amount of tension in either direction results in poorer performance.
Description
Bibliography: p. 68-89.
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Citation
Kolodziej, M. A. (1983). Exercise and memory (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/22087