A050: Executive Function in College Students: A Study on the Effect of Cognitively Engaging Physical Activity

Purpose: The impact of cognitively engaging physical activity on executive function among college students remains unclear, although aerobic physical activity has been shown to have a positive effect. Additionally, it is currently unknown whether the physical activity combining specific cognitive processes with aerobic activity will have a greater positive effect on EFs. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different types of physical activities on EFs in college students. Methods: In a 2×3 within-participants design, 12 healthy male college students (Mage ± SD = 22.92 ± 3.29) accepted three different interventions at three separate times separated by one week. The three conditions were cognitively engaging + aerobic physical activity (HICE + HIPA), cognitively engaging physical activity (HICE + LOPA), and aerobic physical activity (LOCE + HIPA). Interventions between the pre- and post-test lasted 15 minutes and were as follows: participants in the HICE + HIPA group rode bicycles while performing cognitively engaging physical activity; individuals in the HICE + LOPA group conducted cognitively engaging physical activity only; and the LOCE + HIPA group only rode bicycles. Executive function was measured in individuals using three cognitive tasks: Sternberg Paradigm, Go/Nogo, and More-Odd Shifting. The tasks assessed working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Participants were tested before and after receiving the intervention, and outcome metrics included accuracy and response time on the executive function measurement tasks. Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA results showed no significant differences in accuracy across the three executive function tasks. However, there were significant time × group interactions of response time on memory set size (MSET) five task (F(2, 10) = 3.77, p = 0.04 < 0.05, η2 = 0.26) and the go-task (F(2, 10) = 4.15, p = 0.03 < 0.05, η2 = 0.27). Further simple effects tests showed that an acute HICE + HIPA intervention was more effective in enhancing male college students' working memory and inhibitory control abilities than any other conditions. Conclusion: Empirical evidence suggests that a combination of cognitive engagement and aerobic physical activity is an effective intervention for improving executive functioning in male college students, particularly in working memory and inhibitory control. Further research could investigate the effectiveness of this intervention in promoting executive function in younger populations of both genders. Considering the potential differences between acute and chronic physical activity effects, future research could be refined to investigate the relationship between the type of physical activity intervention and executive function.