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Open AccessArticle

Working Memory in Overweight Boys during Physical Education Classes

by Aymen Hawani, Anis ben Chikha, Wael Zoghlami, Mohamed Abdelkader Souissi, Omar Trabelsi, Maher Mrayeh and Antonella Muscella

Children 2023, 10(5), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050805 - 29 Apr 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1778

Abstract

This study examined the effect of small-sided football games (SSFG) and small-sided Ultimate Frisbee games (SSUFG) on working memory, response times, and feeling mood of boys with overweight. Twenty-eight boys (age 12.23 ± 1.58 years) participated in two trials during physical education lessons (20-min SSFG and 20-min SSUFG) in a counterbalanced, randomized crossover design. The response times and feeling mood were measured for all participants post-exercise through the Sternberg paradigm and feeling scale. For the response times, the paired samples t-test revealed a significantly better reaction time after SSUFG at the “One item level” of the Sternberg paradigm (p = 0.014, Hedges’ g = 0.27, small effect) and (p = 0.010, Hedges’ g = 0.74, medium effect), at “Three item level” (p = 0.000106, Hedges’ g = 1.88, very large effect). The SSFG also showed vigor at the “Five item level” (p = 0.047, Hedges’ g = 0.61, medium effect). For the feeling mood, the feeling score was significantly higher after the SSUFG session than the SSFG session and the increase in feeling scores observed after switching from SSFG to SSUFG was significantly different (p < 0.001) from the decrease observed in feeling scores after switching from SSUFG to SSFG. Therefore, the results of the study allow the teacher to introduce new sports and reflect on the motor tasks he or she proposes for boys with overweight during physical education classes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Promoting Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Motor Competence in Children (Volume II))

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16 pages, 2086 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Differing Durations of High-Intensity Intermittent Activity on Cognitive Function in Adolescents

by Lorna M. Hatch, Karah J. Dring, Ryan A. Williams, Caroline Sunderland, Mary E. Nevill and Simon B. Cooper

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11594; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111594 - 4 Nov 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3698

Abstract

Exercise duration may influence the acute effects on cognition. However, only one study to date has explored the dose-response relationship between exercise duration and cognition in adolescents. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of differing durations of high-intensity intermittent running on cognition in adolescents. Thirty-eight adolescents (23 girls) completed three trials separated by 7 d: 30 min exercise, 60 min exercise, and rest; in a randomised crossover design. The exercise was a modified version of the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST), which elicited high-intensity intermittent exercise. Cognitive function tests (Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm, Flanker task) were completed 30 min pre, immediately post, and 45 min post exercise. Response times on the incongruent level of the Flanker task improved to a greater extent 45 min following the 30 min LIST, compared to rest (p = 0.009). Moreover, response times improved to a greater extent on the three-item level of Sternberg paradigm 45 min following the 30 min LIST, compared to the 60 min LIST (p = 0.002) and rest (p = 0.013), as well as on the five-item level 45 min following the 30 min LIST, compared to the 60 min LIST (p = 0.002). In conclusion, acute exercise enhanced subsequent cognition in adolescents, but overall, 30 min of high-intensity intermittent running is more favourable to adolescents’ cognition, compared to 60 min. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Physical Activity on Cognitive Function in Young People)

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13 pages, 697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Sternberg Paradigm: Correcting Encoding Latencies in Visual and Auditory Test Designs

by Julian Klabes, Sebastian Babilon, Babak Zandi and Tran Quoc Khanh

Vision 2021, 5(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/vision5020021 - 4 May 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 9314

Abstract

The Sternberg task is a widely used tool for assessing the working memory performance in vision and cognitive science. It is possible to apply a visual or auditory variant of the Sternberg task to query the memory load. However, previous studies have shown that the subjects’ corresponding reaction times differ dependent on the used variant. In this work, we present an experimental approach that is intended to correct the reaction time differences observed between auditory and visual item presentation. We found that the subjects’ reaction time offset is related to the encoding speed of a single probe item. After correcting for these individual encoding latencies, differences in the results of both the auditory and visual Sternberg task become non-significant,

p = 0.252

. Thus, an equal task difficulty can be concluded for both variants of item presentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory and Working Memory: Stimulus Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval)

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