Intensity Effect of Acute Aerobic Physical Activity on the Cognitive Ability of Physical Education Students at the Age of 20-40

Although it is well known that physical activity has many proven benefits to the human body, the influence of physical activity on cognitive ability is not clear. The intensity of exercise should be considered before cognitive tasks, especially during school hours. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference between cognitive abilities after intense and moderate acute exercise.

Thirty-one college students participated in this study. They were asked to participate in two different types of acute physical activity – intense vs. moderate vs. rest (as control). Immediately after exercising, they took a cognitive test (Raven`s progressive matrices test). The difference between the cognitive abilities of the groups was measured using an independent t-test using SPSS software.

The students’ achievement in the Raven’s progressive matrices test was lower after acute intense exercise (80% HRR max) (p0.05, 3.19 ± 2.15), compared to acute moderate exercise (4.32 ±2.26) or rest (4.32 ±2.34). There was no difference in the cognitive ability after acute moderate physical activity and rest.

This study supports the approach that moderate but not intense acute exercise may be introduced during school hours without interfering with academic ability.