The Effect of Physical Activity of Varying Intensity on Students’ Cognitive Abilities

There is increasing evidence that physical activity positively affects cognitive function. Physical exercise activates molecular systems involved in metabolism and synaptic plasticity, and the interaction between these systems has been shown to influence cognitive function. The challenge for the scientific community is to find an optimal level of physical activity for students that will promote harmonious development and enhance the effectiveness of their academic performance. This article highlights the influence of various intensities of physical activity on the dynamics of intelligence indicators in male and female students. In the process of the pedagogical experiment, the students were distributed into two groups according to a certain mode of physical activity. The classes in the experimental group included exercises of high intensity, while the classes in the control group included mainly exercises of low intensity. Intellectual abilities were measured before and after 2 months of the pedagogical experiment. The Raven's Standardized Performance Matrices (SPM) test was used to assess intellectual abilities. The results of the study showed that the increase in intelligence indicators in the students of the experimental group is statistically significant, in contrast to the control group. At the same time, it was not possible to identify significant differences using ANOVA. The obtained data are useful in the context of further research, as they show specialists engaged in the study and development of the cognitive abilities of students, different possibilities of influence and a certain range in the organization of further.