Abstract
Martial arts encompass a wide range of sports and techniques that have been practiced for self-defense and combat for thousands of years. It has expanded to include various styles such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, judo, and karate. It has also been practiced as a form of exercise and entertainment. Martial arts have been associated to discipline, integrity, improved stamina, and increased mental and problem-solving capabilities. Unlike other exercise methods, most martial arts require focus, skill, and technique, which have been hypothesized to improve memory. The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a significant improvement in the working memory of young adults who participated in martial arts and it was compared to people that exercised and people that were minimally active. The mean age for the participants was (M = 22), 74 males and 76 females, and there were 50 participants in each experimental group. The hypothesis was that young adults who train in martial arts would have a better working memory than those who exercise or do minimal physical activity. Working memory capability was measured by performing a digit span test, where participants were asked to memorize a growing sequence of numbers.
The average digit span from the martial arts group was 6.32 compared to 5.88 for the exercise group and 5.79 for the minimal exercise group. When analyzing these values between groups, the difference was significant F(2, 147) = 3.05, p = .05. However, there was no significant difference in the post hocs (p = .056). The standard deviation between the various digit span averages in the three groups was 0.28. There was a significant difference in perceived memory between groups, F(2, 147) = 13.44, p < .001. There was also a significant difference in post hocs between martial artists and those who do minimal physical activity (p < .001) and athletes and those who do minimal physical activity (p = .005). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between males and females, F(2, 147) = 4.70, p = .011. There was also a significant difference in post hocs between the ratio of males and females in the martial arts group and the athlete group (p = .007). There were no other significant differences when comparing other factors such as age, education, years in training, and training frequency. These results indicate that martial artists have a greater working memory than athletes and those who do minimal physical activity when comparing between groups († = .05). Furthermore, martial artists displayed a higher degree of confidence and self-esteem when asked about their perceived memory level (†† = .005) compared to athletes. When comparing perceived memory in martial artists to those who do minimal physical activity, the difference was greater (††† < .001).
While there was a significant difference between the exercise types for working memory, (p = .05), the post hocs were not significant, so it was unclear if one group was significantly different to any other specific group. However, the greatest significant difference in this study was that martial artists had a higher sense of perceived memory and self-confidence compared to the other two experimental groups. This could demonstrate that while martial arts increased working memory, the largest increase was the self-esteem that they gained. This could be instrumental in promoting martial arts training in young children to enhance discipline, self-control, and confidence. Further studies should also be considered to analyze whether martial arts could help retain working memory in patients with neurodegenerative disorders.
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Ariana and Kochen, William R.
(2024)
"The Effect of Exercise Type on Working Memory,"
Journal for Sports Neuroscience: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/neurosports/vol2/iss1/4
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Exercise Science Commons, Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Sports Sciences Commons