Effects Of Moderate-intensity Aerobic Exercise On Working Memory Subprocesses Of Junior High School Student

Working memory(WM)is responsible for the temporary storage and transient processing of received information,which corresponds to the process of working memory maintenance and updating.Working memory not only plays an important role in higher-order cognitive processes such as logical reasoning,problem-solving,and language comprehension,but is also a key predictor of students’ academic achievement.Working memory develops linearly from the beginning of school age to the end of adolescence.In particular,adolescence is considered a critical period for brain rearmament,when brain regions associated with working memory develop at high rates(For example,the prefrontal lobe),so appropriate interventions at this time are likely to have unique effects.Because working memory is inherently resilient and plastic,and because most studies have shown that aerobic exercise can promote working memory in adolescents,especially moderate-intensity aerobic exercise(MIAE),it is not yet known from which sub-processes working memory is facilitated,as it includes maintenance and updating processes.In addition,since the neural basis of spatial and verbal working memory distribution has a significant lateralization effect,the present study will explore the distinction.Experiment 1 of Study 1 used a mixed experimental design of 2(motor habits: high vs low)× 3(memory load: 0-back vs 1-back vs 2-back)to compare spatial working memory and its sub-processes in 40 middle school students.Results of Experiment 1: The performance of spatial working memory and its sub-processes were better in the high-motor habits group than in the low-motor habits group in Junior middle school students.Experiment 2 used a 2(group:training group vs.control group)× 3(measurement time: pre-test vs first test vs 18 th test)× 3(memory load: 0-back vs 1-back vs 2-back)mixed experimental design with 24 low-motor Junior middle school students for six weeks,three times a week,before,after acute training(First test),and after long-term training(18th test)Cognitive assessments were conducted.Results of Experiment 2: Long-term training was significantly more effective than acute training on spatial working memory and sub-processes in middle school students,all better than the pretest,and the amount of effect on spatial working memory updating processes was greater.The experimental design of Study 2(Experiments 3 and 4)was similar to that of Study 1(Experiments 1 and 2),with the difference that the experimental material was changed from squares to uppercase English letters.Results of Experiment 3: The performance of verbal working memory and its sub-processes was better in the high-motor habits group of Junior middle school students than in the low-motor habits group.Results of Experiment 4: The effect of long-term training on verbal working memory and its sub-processes of Junior middle school students was significantly better than acute training,both better than the pre-test,and the amount of effect on verbal working memory updating processes was greater.Research Conclusion: Acute moderate-intensity aerobic exercise was able to produce improvements in the working memory sub-processes in Junior middle school students,and the improvements were better after long-term training,especially for the working memory updating process.