Trouble remembering? Take a walk!

Abstract

Previous research suggests that physical activity has an effect on neuroplasticity, cognitive functioning, and memory recall on both humans and animals (Hotting & Roder, 2013; SchmidtKassow et al., 2014). Furthermore, exercise performed before consolidation has been shown to increase memory involving word recall (Labban & Etnier, 2011; Salas, Minkata, & Keleman, 2011). We investigated the hypothesis of exercise improving memory recall. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two conditions: an exercise group, in which they performed a scavenger hunt on campus, or a stationary group, in which they performed a word-matching task. Our results showed the exercise group (n=20) had an increased number of recalled words in comparison to the control group (N=16; t(34) = 1.719, p=0.095). These results suggest that exercise can improve memory recall function, which has broad applications in daily activities.