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Purpose: The purpose of this review was to evaluate the effects of physical activity on children's free recall, cued recall, and recognition episodic memory and to explore potential moderating factors. Methods: The following databases were searched: PubMed, ERIC, APA Psych Info, CINHAL, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if: (1) participants were aged 4–18 years, (2) participants were typically developed, (3) participants were randomized to groups, (4) interventions employed gross movements, (5) sedentary group was used for control, (6) memory tests were quantitative, and (7) employed acute or chronic intervention. Results: 14 studies met inclusion criteria resulting in the analysis of data from 7 free recall, 7 cued recall, and 8 recognition memory tests. Physical activity was found to have a positive influence on tests free (g = 0.56), cued recall (g = 0.67), and no influence on tests of recognition (g = 0.06). While some moderator analyses were significant, the authors do not consider these results to be meaningful in application. Conclusions: The effects of acute and chronic physical activity enhance specific aspects of long-term episodic memory. These findings suggest physical activity interventions developed for children may be expected to benefit some, but not all, types of memory processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if physical arousal produced by isometric hand-dynamometer contraction performed during word-list learning affects young adults' free recall or recognition memory. Method: Twenty-four young adults (12 female; M[subscript age] = 22 years) were presented with 4 20-item word lists. Moderate arousal was induced in 12 adults by an initial 30-s maximal hand-dynamometer squeeze with force productions of 50% maximum; low arousal was induced in 12 adults by an initial 1-s maximal dynamometer squeeze with force production of 10% maximum during learning. Memory performances following dual-task conditions experienced during the encoding, consolidation, and recall phases of learning were compared to a single-task control condition during which words were learned in the absence of isometric exercise. Results: Planned contrasts revealed that arousal coinciding with word encoding led to significantly poorer immediate recall, F(1, 23) = 10.13, p < 0.05, ?[subscript p][superscript 2] = 0.31, delayed free recall, F(1, 23) = 15.81, p < 0.05, ?[subscript p][superscript 2] = 0.41, and recognition memory, F(1, 23) = 6.07, p < 0.05, = 0.21, compared with when there was no arousal. Neither arousal condition facilitated participants' memory performance. Conclusion: The reduction in long-term memory performance specific to the encoding phase of learning is explained in terms of the dual-task attentional demands placed on participants.

Research findings reveal a relationship between acute bouts of exercise and procedural/declarative memory. Prior systematic reviews report small/moderate effects of acute exercise on episodic long-term declarative memory. A somewhat overlooked issue is the influence of exercise on specific types of episodic memory processing. The primary focus of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of acute bouts of exercise prior to, during, and following encoding on free-, cued-recall, and recognition episodic memory. PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO databases were entered, and 42 experiments were subject tometa-analysis. Exercise prior to encoding improved memory (d = 0.23) and affected free-recall (d = 0.40) tests of memory more than cued-recall (d = 0.08) or recognition (d = -0.06) memory. Exercise following encoding improved memory (d = 0.33) and affected recognition (d = 0.62) memory more than free- (d = 0.19) or cued-recall (d = 0.14) memory. Exercise during encoding did not influence memory (d = -0.04). Moderator analyses revealed that exercise before encoding impacted memory differentially on the basis of age, exercise type, and test-timing. When exercise occurred after encoding, age and exercise type, but not timing of the test influenced memory performance. Exercise before and after encoding has selective effects on episodicmemory. Additional experiments that evaluate how bouts of exercise influence memory encoding are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of acute bouts of exercise on young adults' psychomotor learning was assessed in two experiments. In Experiment 1, 10 min of exercise performed immediately following pursuit-rotor training improved retention of tracking movements, but only when measured 7 days following encoding and only under exercise conditions that required complex decisions. In Experiment 2, 10 min of exercise performed immediately prior to encoding resulted in a retention pattern similar to that seen in Experiment 1; however, performance did not differ significantly between exercise and control groups. In both experiments, retention of motor movement was greater when measured 24 hr and 7 days after training, as opposed to immediately following encoding. The mnemonic benefits of moderately vigorous complex physical activity appear to assist a motor memory trace to transform from a fragile to a more persistent state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of physical activity in promoting brain health and mental development enhancement among children. The author reviews three studies with highlights on the issues involving challenge translational research application in exercise pediatric science. It is suggested that researchers and practitioners should recognize the methodological and measurement issues surrounding the attempt to employ laboratory methodologies to academic setting.

The article examines the association between exercise and cognition through a randomized, controlled study of children from urban schools in the Southeast U.S. Topics discussed include effects of physical activity (PA) on children's intelligence and standardized achievement outcomes, impact on children's mathematical and reading ability, and implications for school psychologists in efforts to promote PA breaks.

Purpose: This study tested whether participation in organized physical activity (active vs. inactive) or weight status (normal weight vs. overweight or obese) independently relate to children's cognition, using a matched-pairs design. Design and Methods: Normal weight, active children (8-11 yrs, 5th-75th percentile BMI) were recruited from extracurricular physical activity programs while normal weight inactive (5th-75th percentile BMI) and overweight inactive children (BMI ≥85th percentile) were recruited from local Augusta, Georgia area schools. Measures included the Cognitive Assessment System, anthropometrics, and parent- and self-report of physical activity. Paired t tests compared cognition scores between matched groups of normal weight active vs. normal weight inactive (N= 24 pairs), normal weight inactive vs. overweight inactive (N = 21 pairs), and normal weight active vs. overweight inactive children (N = 16 pairs). Children in each comparison were matched for race, gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Results: Normal weight active children had higher Planning (M± SD = 109 ± 11 vs. 100 ±11,p = .011) and Attention scores (108 ± 11 vs. 100 ±11,p= .013) than overweight inactive children. Normal weight inactive children had higher Attention scores than overweight inactive children (105 ± 13 vs. 93 ±12,p = .008). When compared with normal weight inactive children, normal weight active children had higher Planning (113 ± 10 vs. 102 ± 13, p = .008) and marginally higher Attention scores (111 ± 11 vs. 104 ± 12,p = .06). Conclusion: Findings suggest independent associations of children's weight status with selective attention, and physical activity with higher-order processes of executive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this commentary, we highlight intriguing commonalities between the research areas of exercise and cognition and motor skill development and learning. While these two research domains have developed on separate tracks, the focus on variability of practice is central to both. We adopt a joint sport science and neuroscience approach to identify the characteristics of designed motor learning experiences that can impact brain plasticity and cognitive development. Novelty, diversity, effort, and successfulness seem essential ingredients to render learning experiences meaningful to this aim. All these characteristics belong to the construct of variability as it is conceived in the informational and ecological approaches to motor skill learning. To transition theory into practice, we discuss how variability of practice can impact cognitive and particularly executive function development. In this context, we address the role of flexibility training to support key transitions in the development of cognitive control, looking at the relation between repetition and change in physical activity in terms of trade-offs between costs and benefits of stability and flexibility. We conclude by reframing variability of practice into emerging models of embodied cognition, highlighting the potential of the proposed intersection of chronic exercise and cognition, cognitive development, and motor learning evidence to unwrap a new venue for sport sciences and quality physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]