Cognitive-Motor Dual Task Interference Effects on Declarative Memory: A Theory-Based Review

Abstract

Bouts of exercise performed either prior to or immediately following study periods enhance encoding and learning. Empirical evidence supporting the benefits of interventions that simultaneously pair physical activity with material to be learned is not conclusive, however. A narrative, theory-based review of dual-task experiments evaluated studies in terms of arousal theories, attention theories, cognitive-energetic theories, and entrainment theories. The pattern of the results of these studies suggests that cognitive-motor interference can either impair or enhance memory of semantic information and the manner in which physical activity impacts working memory within executive processing appears to explain disparate outcomes. The integration and timing of physical movements in concert with the type of information to be encoded and remembered appears to be a critical requirement for learning. These observations have implications for the role of physical activity in education, rehabilitation, and gerontological settings.

Effects of acute aerobic and resistance exercise on episodic memory function

“…Episodic memory refers to the retrospective recall of an event or episode in a spatio-temporal context (Tulving, 1972). As demonstrated previously (Chang et al, 2012;Labban & Etnier, 2018;Roig et al, 2013Roig et al, , 2016Tomporowski, 2003;Winter et al, 2007), among young adults, there is suggestive evidence that acute aerobic exercise (continuous rhythmic movement that involves large muscle groups; American College of Sports Medicine [ACSM], 2017) may, potentially, enhance episodic memory function when assessed post-exercise; for details on the effects and mechanisms of memory impairment during (high-intensity) acute exercise, the reader is referred elsewhere (Lambourne & Tomporowski, 2010;Tomporowski & Qazi, 2020). The potential mechanisms of post-exercise cognitive enhancement have also been extensively discussed elsewhere (El-Sayes et al, 2019;Loprinzi et al, 2017, and includes, for example, exercise-induced alterations in neuronal excitability and the ensuing effects on long-term potentiation; longterm potentiation refers to the sustained excitation of neurons, as demonstrated by sustained levels of excitatory post-synaptic potentiation (Bliss & Lomo, 1973).…”

How physical activity, fitness, and motor skills contribute to math performance: Working memory as a mediating factor

“…8 Recently, more attention has been focused on motor skills, since it has been suggested that coordinative, cognitively engaging forms of exercise may also have effects on cognition along with less cognitively engaging forms of exercise. 9,10 Executive function is defined as a group of higherorder cognitive processes involved in self-regulatory and goal-directed actions and is a strong predictor of academic performance. 11 In particular, mathematics performance relies heavily not only on working memory but also on other core executive functions, such as inhibition and mental flexibility.…”

“…6 Many theories about underlying mechanisms have been posited, for example, biological and psychosocial theories as well as embodied learning theories, which suggest that physical activity improves cognition via multiple, different pathways and through that, academic performance. 6,10 However, to date, the mediating role of cognitive functions (mainly executive functions) between physical activity 15,16 / physical fitness [17][18][19] / motor skills 20,21 / aerobic fitness, 22,23 and academic performance are not heavily studied. That is, only a couple of studies have assessed the mediating effects on mathematics.…”

The Impact of Acute Exercise Timing on Memory Interference

“…Meta-analytic work (Loprinzi et al., 2019; Roig et al., 2013) demonstrates that certain health-enhancing behaviors, such as acute exercise, can enhance post-exercise memory function; for details on how memory is influenced during exercise, see Tomporowski and Qazi (2020). Regarding post-exercise effects, Roig et al.…”

“…Meta-analytic work demonstrates that certain health-enhancing behaviors, such as acute exercise, can enhance postexercise memory function; for details on how memory is influenced during exercise, see Tomporowski and Qazi (2020). Regarding post-exercise effects, demonstrated that acute exercise improved short-and long-term memory, respectively, in 48% and 58% of the evaluated studies.…”