Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 2020

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management

First Advisor

Paul Loprinzi

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Accumulating research has shown that acute exercise can enhance memory function. Although counterintuitive, acute exercise may also facilitate aspects of forgetting. Specifically, retrieving a subset of items from memory can facilitate the retention of retrieved items (retrieval practice; RP) and inhibit the subsequent retrieval of non-retrieved items (retrieval-induced forgetting; RIF). Given that acute exercise has been shown to enhance cognition-related inhibition, acute exercise may facilitate RIF. A sample of 225 young adults completed either a control (N=75), moderate-intensity acute exercise (N=75), or vigorous-intensity acute exercise session (N=75). Both acute exercise sessions lasted 20 minutes. Participants then completed a standard retrieval-induced forgetting protocol. Significant main effects for RP and RIF were observed, but no main effects for group, or RP by group or RIF by group interactions. In conclusion, large RP and RIF effects were observed but these effects did not vary as a function of exposure to acute exercise.

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.