Introduction
According to De Bruijn et al. (2018), there were numerous studies that associated academic achievement and memory capacity with physical fitness. Their research article extended the existing evidence base by addressing the value of exercise for the development of verbal working memory. Physical exercise became an important mediator intended to explain the relationship between certain fitness approaches and improvements related to a student’s memory functioning. It was ultimately found that thorough engagement in exercise might contribute to improved executive functioning as well. De Bruijn et al. (2018) concluded by stating that inhibition and working memory correlated because students could mediate their performance through the interface of fitness. In other words, the development of working memory could be significantly enhanced with the help of physical exercise. The sensitivity of different age groups toward fitness was explored by the researchers only to a limited extent.
Discussion
On the other hand, it was found that regular physical exercise could generate neural alterations in a student’s organism. Fitness contributed to improved academic performance across different age groups. In line with De Bruijn et al. (2018), the biggest issue when developing working memory and academic performance is the lack of an exercise program intended to aid the mediating relationship between the two. Thus, not all students might be able to turn their exposure to physical exercise into enhanced memory functioning (De Bruijn et al., 2018). Low academic achievements cannot be paired with weak memory performance or the outstanding physical form of any given student. Exercise should be included in the list of daily activities performed by students in order to develop healthy habits and improve executive functions, including memory. Diverse students should gain access to a varied set of physical exercises for better outcomes.
The study conducted by Felez-Nobrega et al. (2017) dwelled on how working memory capacity could be increased in students using physical activities of varied intensity. Their findings supported the idea that acute exercises could be the shortest path toward helping students enhance their academic performance. It was also hypothesized that every student could hold a certain potential that might be realized only in the case of regular exercise promoted among students of different ages. Felez-Nobrega et al. (2017) suggested that academic achievements can be improved in the case where physical exercise programs are acute and recognize students’ fitness potential as well. With reduced screen time and social media usage, similar results could be obtained, but they cannot be considered mutually exclusive (Felez-Nobrega et al., 2017). A combination of limited screen time and extended physical activity could be expected to enhance students’ working memory capacity.
The associations described above bear two important implications for the future of research on the issue of physical exercise affecting student memory. First of all, it has to be observed how academic achievements are often negatively associated with various leisure activities and extended screen time (Felez-Nobrega et al., 2017). The researchers consider physical exercise not strong enough when it is necessary to deploy an intervention that could enhance memory capacity while maintaining a higher grade of academic performance. Thus, working memory capacity has to be improved through the interface of educational approaches that will teach students to find a perfect balance between leisure activities and physical exercise (Felez-Nobrega et al., 2017). The second implication mentioned by Felez-Nobrega et al. (2017) revolved around how ongoing research on the connection between physical fitness and memory capacity is almost absent from academic literature. Without insights in the area, student performance will be harder to improve.
The research conducted by Haynes IV et al. (2019) took on the issue of short-term and long-term memory being affected by physical exercise. Accordingly, they took the existing instances of prior research on the subject and carried out an experiment to validate the knowledge regarding the association between working memory capacity and students’ physical fitness. Haynes IV et al. (2019) mentioned the intensity of physical exercise as one of the decisive factors. It was noted that high-power training sessions enhanced memory functioning by a notch, creating a premise for students to capitalize on throughout their lives. Consequently, the researchers assessed the impact of physical exercise on students and ensured that there was going to be a positive connection between working memory capacity and fitness (Haynes IV et al., 2019). Overall, short-term memory, long-term memory, and the learning process were all found to be dependent on the quality and intensity of the proposed physical exercise.
The experiment that was carried out by Haynes IV et al. (2019) allowed them to collect robust evidence suggesting that at least 15 minutes of daily exercise of moderate intensity could improve student memory functioning. The grade of potentiation was also noticed to grow significantly after training sessions. This set of evidence hints at the fact that the majority of alterations occurring within the student body during exercise are positive and bring numerous advantages to the table. A lower risk of cognitive impairment affecting students during their older years was also found to be contingent on the frequency and intensity of physical exercise (Haynes IV et al., 2019). It was proposed by the researchers to carry out other experiments and see how the duration of training could enhance memory stimulus and brain functioning.
The importance of the research conducted by Heisz et al. (2017) can be reinforced by the fact that they tried establishing a correlation between cognitive training, general recognition, high-interference memory, and physical training. It was ultimately found that similar items could be identified more often while the recognition performance (general recognition) remained the same. According to Heisz et al. (2017), it was a crucial finding that validated the researchers’ hypothesis regarding the generation of memory traces of exceptionally high fidelity as a result of engagement in physical exercise. Students can be expected to generate event-specific memories when maintaining their physical fitness with the intention of preventing their memory capacity from degenerating. Thus, pieces of similar information could be easier to remember after physical exercise (Heisz et al., 2017). It was found that neurons could be regenerated quicker with the aid of fitness training as well.
In other words, the changes induced by high-intensity physical exercise could be expected to increase neurogenesis and improve working memory capacity. This way, students would have the opportunity to remember various items while enhancing the grade of recognition and distinguishing between necessary and unnecessary information (Heisz et al., 2017). When summarizing their findings, Heisz et al. (2017) also noted that the original memory traces could be extended with the aid of physical exercise. It was especially true for high-interference memory tasks among students who were either untrained or physically unfit. The ability to adapt to cognitive training and its physical counterpart allowed students to combine the best of the two and improve working memory capacity from the points of general recognition and high-interference memory.
Herbert et al. (2020) carried out several pilot studies in order to investigate the impact of physical exercise on student well-being, academic performance, and memory capacity. Their findings stemmed from the data that were collected using different standardized questionnaires and online surveys. According to Herbert et al. (2020), students engaging in physical exercise frequently were less likely to report depressive symptoms, reduced quality of life, and anxiety. Therefore, student age did not play an essential role because working memory capacity could be enhanced with the aid of fitness in school, college, and university students equally. It was also confirmed by Herbert et al. (2020) that the perceived level of stress was significantly lower in students who engaged in physical exercise at least occasionally. Therefore, various health concerns that can be usually associated with students of different ages were mitigated by fitness training sessions.
Similar findings were posted by Herbert et al. (2020) regarding the connection between student working memory and the benefits of physical exercise. For instance, the researchers found that even low-intensity interventions could lead to an increased memory capacity among students. Nevertheless, it was suggested to complement physical exercise with cognitive training and make both activities scheduled (Herbert et al., 2020). The researchers pointed out the alleged cost-effectiveness of such strategies and mentioned how regular physical exercise could become a tool to motivate students and help them maintain a positive level of well-being. The likelihood of the development of depression and anxiety was also reduced with the aid of exercise during Herbert et al.’s (2020) pilot studies. Thus, there could be numerous payoffs related to how often and intensively students tend to engage in physical fitness.
The study carried out by Islam et al. (2020) takes on the notion of well-being and extends it beyond the mere exposure of students to depression and anxiety. The researchers pointed out the vulnerable nature of first-year students and discussed how the lack of physical exercise could influence that population. Thus, physical training agendas have to be developed under the guidance of university authorities to help students maintain the balance between their academic performance and personal well-being (Islam et al., 2020). Working memory capacity, in this case, gets placed right in between the two major factors contributing to first-year students’ academic performance. The researchers also pointed out the lack of proactive measures that could be applied to the issue of improving student memory with the help of exercise (Islam et al., 2020). Raising awareness regarding cognitive training and fitness workout became an essential task for university staff.
Also, Islam et al. (2020) focused on the need to improve sleep quality while reducing the time spent by students on the Internet. The researchers linked working memory capacity to mental health conditions and concluded by stating that students should be provided with all information to gain better insight into how they could cope with reduced quality of life and declining memory functioning (Islam et al., 2020). For first-year students, it means that they would have to manage academic performance, loneliness, interpersonal relationships, and future planning at the same time. Physical exercise can be expected to emphasize the ability to carry out all the activities above in line with a schedule while closing their knowledge and memory gaps (Islam et al., 2020). The lack of sleep satisfaction was found to be one of the most representative issues linked to declining memory capacity, even in the presence of a steady fitness training schedule.
The article written by Jeon and Ha (2017) contains evidence regarding the beneficial nature of physical training and its influence on the human organism. For instance, the researchers pay close attention to how the intensity of exercise could influence a person’s ability to concentrate and perform other tasks (Jeon & Ha, 2017). Even a short-term warm-up activity could be expected to improve one’s memory capacity and concentration-related reflexes. These notable changes have to be associated with the fact that the intensity of oxygen ventilation increases drastically and allows for improved brain functioning on all levels (Jeon & Ha, 2017). Thus, acute exercise sets could be beneficial when helping students to develop the capacity of their memory. Jeon and Ha (2017) found that endurance training could generate positive outcomes as well, allowing students to concentrate on specific tasks and perform them more quickly.
The researchers suggested that aerobic exercises could bring the most benefits to the table while increasing ventilation and enhancing the existing working memory capacity. Even though Jeon and Ha (2017) carried out their research on a group of adolescents, they concluded by stating that similar outcomes can be achieved in young adults in universities. It was mentioned by the authors of the article how cognitive functions could be enhanced with the aid of high-intensity exercise aimed at improving student fortitude and behavioral responses (Jeon & Ha, 2017). Thus, acute and long-term exercises were found to be the best for students willing to enhance their working memory capacity. A respective increase in memory-related capabilities would signify the need to level up the intensity of exercise to achieve better results in the future. Jeon and Ha (2017) suggested that more experiments with larger samples are required to validate the association between endurance training and working memory capacity.
Loprinzi et al. (2019) conducted their research to investigate the influence of acute exercise on episodic memory function. It was found that this type of memory was significantly dependent on a person’s ability to engage in long-duration physical activities. The researchers’ observations also allowed them to conclude that fitness training could enhance memory stabilization and enhance potentiation on a long-term scale (Loprinzi et al., 2019). Loprinzi et al. (2019) also found that high-intensity physical exercise could be one of the main reasons for the enhanced production of key proteins. Therefore, it could be suggested that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor could be attained with the help of fitness training sessions. Memory functioning has to be perceived together with physical exercise frequency and intensity because episodic memory could be improved through short-duration fitness sets. It was found that the memory trace stabilization process duration could be increased up to four hours.
The findings presented by Loprinzi et al. (2019) focus on the importance of short-term physical exercise and its impact on episodic memory. Students can benefit from these findings as they might not have to engage in long-term fitness sessions to achieve improved memory stabilization and enhance their working memory capacity. On the other hand, it was observed by the researchers that long-term exercise could broaden students’ cognitive resource base and sustain the existing memory capacity (Loprinzi et al., 2019). These findings are both important for students because they leave enough room for the person to consider which strategy of memory enhancement suits them better. Short-term, acute physical exercise sessions can be expected to improve memory consolidation and prevent students from early cognitive impairments.
Similar to Islam et al. (2020), the research article written by Okano et al. (2019) dwells on how physical exercise and the quality of sleep could impact students’ well-being and academic performance. Accordingly, the researchers suggested that inadequate sleep patterns could contribute to a damaging reduction in students’ working memory capacity. It shows how the lack of sleep affects student memory, and the latter ultimately drops the existing level of academic performance (Okano et al., 2019). With the aid of their research article, Okano et al. (2019) extend the role of sleep and connect its duration to working memory capacity as well. A person’s cognitive performance reduces under the influence of short inactivity periods, so it is safe to say that working memory capacity depends on the length of a student’s sleep. Nevertheless, Okano et al. (2019) also associated academic performance with the consistency of one’s memorization capacity.
Within the framework of this controlled study, it was found that many students lack a proper understanding of what can be considered an adequate sleeping pattern. Therefore, Okano et al.’s (2019) experiment allowed the investigators to motivate students to improve their well-being and see if their working memory capacity would enhance as a result. The new insights attained by the scholars were utilized to reach a verdict that better academic performance can be achieved when the level of well-being is above average. Okano et al. (2019) proposed to combine content-relevant sleep with proper physical exercise and reduced exposure to unnecessary leisure activities. The researchers also dwelled on how female students might be able to remain more consistent in terms of the frequency of physical exercise and the length of their sleep.
The article written by Sng et al. (2018) took on a topic that was similar to the investigation carried out by Loprinzi et al. (2019), where the effects of physical exercise on episodic memory were described. With the aid of a quasi-experimental study and four groups of students, the researchers evaluated the impact of fitness training of different intensities on college student learning and memory function. The exercise of choice was a 15-minute treadmill walk of moderate intensity that was expected to help students develop their episodic memory. In order to test students’ capabilities, Sng et al. (2018) utilized the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Long-term and prospective memory was tested 24 hours and 20 minutes after the exercise, respectively. The investigation showcased a strong connection between physical exercise performance and students’ learning and memory capacities.
Conclusion
The statistical significance of the results obtained by Sng et al. (2018) proves that physical exercise is positively linked to episodic memory functioning regardless of the intensity and frequency of the training set. Importantly, pre-memory encoding exercise sets were found to generate more positive outcomes for student memory capacity than fitness during memory encoding and consolidation (Sng et al., 2018). Regardless of the time passed between encoding and consolidation, a 15-minute treadmill walk of average intensity was found to be a beneficial contributor to the effectiveness of long-term episodic memory in students. The researchers validated their hypothesis and also contributed to the existing body of evidence while motivating students to engage in any kind of exercise to maintain a higher memory capacity.
References
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