Effects of Exercise on Memory and Visual Reaction Times among 6th Class Primary School Students.
Authors
Nimmo, Meabh
Issue Date
2015
Degree
BA (Hons) in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
Extensive literature exists in the area of physical exercise and its effects on cognition. However, there has been little research in the 6th class age group. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that physical exercise has on short term memory and visual reaction time among 6th class primary school students. It was hypothesised that short term memory and visual reaction time would significantly increase after physical exercise. However, regarding the speed of reaction time, experimentation here showed no significant difference between an experiment group and a control group. Additionally, in relation to memory recall, a significant difference was found within both groups. However it was the control group that recalled more objects. These results are not consistent with previous literature, and likely reflect the experimental limitations. The results therefore highlight the need for future research on this age group in more strictly controlled environments. Author Keywords: Physical exercise, Memory, Reaction time