Attention and spatial navigation in everyday life: Physical activity is associated with subjective aspects of cognitive function

Efforts to understand the effects of physical activity on cognitive health have long relied on employing objective measures that assess the efficacy of the mechanics of cognition. However, this perspective overlooks complementary dimensions of cognitive functioning, namely one's subjective appraisal of the efficacy of their cognitive mechanics. In a set of four investigations (N = 2965), we sought to discern whether physical activity (PA), and other health and demographic factors, contribute to subjective experiences of cognitive mechanics (SCF) and to map for future investigations domains of function that are sensitive to health factors. We employed linear multiple regression analyses to examine survey data collected online from four large samples of young adults who responded to measures of health behaviours and SCF. PA contributed to subjective experiences of attentional control and spatial navigation but not memory, executive function, or general cognitive functioning. Further, sleep, diet, and stress were each consistently associated with selective measures of subjective experiences of cognition. Taken together, these studies indicate the importance of PA, as well as additional health behaviours, as significant contributors to SCF.