Doing physical exercise has no indication on learning and memory enhancement in children aged 13-15

Abstract

Some studies have reported that doing physical exercise regularly has positive effects on neurocognitive and neuropsychological functions. Yet, few studies have indicated how doing physical exercise can enhance learning and memory in adolescents. The objective of the present study is to identify the effect of performing physical exercise on learning and memory in young school-learners. Our study was conducted in a secondary school in Hong Kong. Views about habits to do physical exercises from 97 students aged 13-15 were collected. The memory and learning ability of these students were assessed with Hong Kong List Learning Test (HKLLT) produced by Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The HKLLT is a modified version of the California Verbal Learning Test. Results showed that four groups of the students (total time to do physical exercise per day: <15, 15-30, >30-60 and >60 minutes) did not have significant differences in the learning slope, short and long recalls of the HKLLT. These results suggest that doing physical exercise has no significant effect or is not a key element on learning and memory enhancement in adolescents.