selective attention research
TRANSCRIPT
“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
“Exercising” Proper Attention: Exercise
increases selective attention
Nicholas A. Lopez
Jeff Chen
Justin Lee
Jai Oberoi
Emory College of Arts and Sciences
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Abstract
A common problem among university students is attention control; with all
the different sources vying for one’s attention, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to direct selective attention. In order to better understand focus, our
research sought to determine the effect between acute aerobic exercise and
proceeding control of selective attention. While many studies done in the field
measured the effect of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive function, none
addressed selective attention specifically. A meta-analysis done by the Chichester
Centre of Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences concluded that difference in the
accuracy of cognition post-exercise had a larger mean effect size than during
exercise (McMorris and Hale). In agreement with the trend of cognitive function
improvement, we predicted that selective attention would correlate positively
when preceded by acute aerobic exercise. In order to test this hypothesis, our
research team developed a procedure that measured the difference between
selective attention before and after acute aerobic activity.
For our sample, we selected the Men’s Novice Club rowing team at
Emory University, as their practices were structured and allowed us to better
compare the results between the participants. In order to quantify our measures of
attention, we used the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT). The
PASAT was originally created to assess the effects of traumatic brain injury. It is
now recognized as a measure of a number of different cognitive functions, most
notably those related to attention (Tombaugh, 2006). The results showed that
every single participant increased their timed score on the PASAT after exercise.
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Paired two-sample t-tests determined that the change in percent score was
statistically significant. While there was not a significant increase in reaction
time, we were still able to conclude that exercise did positively affect selective
attention due to the increase in accuracy. Our research could possibly open the
door to new therapies for people with ADHD. Also, it allows us to educate
college students and potentially alter their schedules in order to maximize
efficiency and minimize sparse selective attention.
Background and Literature
Our research focuses on how acute cardiovascular exercise (increased
heart rate aerobic activity with consistent cardiovascular activity lasting more than
ten minutes) in college students affects selective attention within fifteen minutes
of finishing exercise. Attention is defined as “the focusing of perceptive
awareness on a particular stimulus or set of stimuli that results in the relative
exclusion of other stimuli and is often accompanied by an increase in the
readiness to receive and to respond to the stimulus or set of stimuli involved”
(Strickland, 2001). Our study may shed further light on the benefits of acute
exercise habits. Also, our study may help college students with ADHD utilize
time efficiency techniques based on our research, which that could alleviate the
attention-defecate symptoms as an alternative to traditional pharmaceutical drugs.
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
More practically, however, a potential correlation between exercise and
selective attention can help to better inform college student and improve their
time management strategy in order to be more efficient with their selective. There
have been many studies and analyses done regarding memory and exercise. One
such analysis done by the Chichester Centre of Applied Sport and Exercise
Sciences at Chichester University examined the effect of differing exercise
intensities on both speed and accuracy of cognition while and after performing
aerobic exercise (McMorris & Hale, 2012). This meta-analysis focused on the
different intensities of exercise and how human cognition is affected by the
different intensities. McMorris and Hale focused mainly on results dealing with
data gathered from the subjects while performing exercise. Regarding the effect of
aerobic activity post-exercise, McMorris and Hale concluded that there was a
significant difference between the larger mean effect size of cognition accuracy of
post-exercise versus the smaller mean effect size of accuracy pre-exercise. To our
knowledge, this study is the only one with a conclusion regarding the effect of
exercise on post-exercise selective attention. Our research study focuses on
college students, specifically physically active males between the ages of 18-22
years old, which allows for more specific practical applications. Another study
was conducted regarding the effect of aerobic exercise on overall health and
mental functioning of healthy populations (Guiney & Machado, 2013). This study
researched and compared different studies done regarding aerobic exercise and
different functions of the brain. It was concluded that over time, healthy
populations that exercised had better overall mental functioning, including
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
selective attention. This study collected data based on three categories: children,
young adults, and adults. Again, this study does not focus on physically active
male, much less college students specifically, nor does it go into detail regarding
acute exercise. This study utilized the “Stroop task” in order to measure selective
attention and inhibitory control, which involves asking participants to name the
color of the ink a word appears in by either saying it or pressing a button.
One research study regarding acute exercise specifically found that
children showed improved selective attention from 12 minutes of aerobic exercise
(Tine & Butler, 2012). The purpose of the study, however, was not to measure
how exercise affects selective attention; rather, the experiment sought to compare
and contrast the benefit received between low-income children and high-income
children. It was concluded from the study “that a 12 min session of aerobic
exercise improved the selective attention of both lower- and higher-income
children”. The researchers also found that lower income children see a larger
boost in selective attention. Once again, this study does not specifically deal with
male college students.
Over the course of the decade, research regarding attention deficit and
hyperactive disorder (ADHD) has grown exponentially. The Gale Encyclopedia
of Psychology defines ADHD as “a combination of excessive motor restlessness,
difficulty in controlling or maintaining attention to relevant events, and impulsive
responding that is not adaptive” (Arcus, 2001). It is important to recognize the
connection between ADHD and our study. This disorder severely affects the area
of selective attention, especially in students who need to focus for extended
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
periods of time motionless. A research study done in 2013 seeks to establish the
link between exercise and ADHD symptoms. In this study, data was collected
across a wide span of studies. Animal data collected by the researchers suggested
that exercise might be helpful for ADHD symptom reduction, most notably during
early developmental periods (Rommel, Halperin, Mill, Asherson, & Kuntsi,
2013). This study does not specifically deal with a certain age group, but suggests
that there is limited research regarding the effect of exercise in children and
teenagers with the disorder. It was suggested by the researchers, however, that
evidence points to the theory that exercise does improve executive functioning
and behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD It was also said by the
researchers that exercise holds promise in reducing ADHD symptoms, but that
more research needs to be done. Our study seeks to establish a higher correlation
between exercise and selective attention.
The scientific information regarding exercise and memory is plentiful.
However, there is a definite gap in the effectiveness of exercise in improving
selective attention. Our study utilized the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test in
order to quantify the data and correlate the results more efficiently. We
hypothesized that acute aerobic activity will in fact greatly affect selective
attention in college students in a positive way. Based on the previous research in
the field and related fields, we inferred that exercise would have a positive effect
on mental processes. In addition, due to the research in the field of brain disorders
(specifically ADHD), we believed that exercise would significantly improve
selective attention, lower anxiety, and boost overall study effectiveness. Our
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
experiment tested the Emory University Men’s Club Novice Rowing team, one
that regularly engages in aerobic exercise. We first tested them without any
exercise (or before they exercised that day) and then waited the same amount of
time they normally exercise. We then tested them again and recorded our
observations concerning any change in attitude/ability to focus in addition to
specific PASAT results. We used the PASAT results in order to quantify our
results.
Methods
We have chosen to use quantitative methods, specifically the Paced
Auditory Serial Exam, to carry out our experiment for the research experiment.
Our research question is to test the effect of acute exercise on cognitive function,
specifically selective attention. We decided to take quantitative data from the tests
the subjects take in order to accurately analyze the cause and effect relationship
between acute exercise and selective attention. In addition to the quantitative data,
we also took a survey of each participant showing name, age, position on team,
and years they have participated in crew (See Appendix Figure 8). Also, we
conducted an experiment on a set number of individuals, which enabled us to
establish a causal relationship. Using quantitative methods allowed us to compare
numerical results from tests in order to draw conclusions. For our experiment, we
used the Emory Men’s Club Crew Team as our subject population. The control in
this study is pre-exercise test performance. The data from the control allows the
other results collected from the subjects after exercise to be compared for further
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
conclusions. The independent variable is the exercise carried out by the subjects.
The dependent variables are the test results carried out by the test subjects before
or after exercising.
For our experiment, the only materials required were laptops, notebooks
and earphones. The subjects used the laptops in order to take the Paced Auditory
Serial Addition Task. We administered this test using the program that was
readily available on our laptops. We used notebooks to take observations and
notes during the practices for reference during our data collection. Since the test
required our subjects to listen to numbers, our subjects used earphones for a
quieter environment. The scale that we used in order to test selective attention was
the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (Tombaugh, 2006). This task required
our test subjects to add up the last two numbers presented to them in a sequence.
In this way, the subjects needed to utilize their focus in order to hear the numbers,
remember the previous ones, and then add them up (See References). This method
has been used a previous study that studied the effects on moderate exercise on
working memory (Martins, A).
For our experiment, we decided to sample members of one of the athletic
teams here at Emory University. This was advantageous as the teams would be
easily accessible and it would be convenient to test participants who are on
campus. We emailed the coaches of the various athletic teams to determine which
program would be willing to partake in our research. However, we faced the
problem of not receiving responses of consent from many teams’ coaches. We
decided to tackle this problem by contacting a friend who is part of the crew team,
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
and asking him to email the coach and cc us in the mail. This worked out to our
advantage as crew has standardized practices between the team members, which
increased the accuracy of the experiment. In terms of decreasing the margin of
error, the testing of only one kind of team allowed us to more easily compare the
results, as all the subjects were of the same gender. The use of one kind of team,
however, also limits the applications of our study in that it may raise doubts as to
the generalization of our results across gender lines.
We performed the study by first collecting all the information we could
about the practice, which would be our form of exercise and independent variable.
Due to the number of participants, we attended the Emory Men’s Crew practice
three times over a period of four days. We separated the participants into two
separate groups. One group was tested first before exercise and secondly after
exercise. The other group was tested first after exercise and secondly before
exercise. Only one test was conducted per day in order to minimize the possibility
of an increase in PASAT score due to a practice effect.
A potential problem in our study was that some members of the team did
not want to participate. We attempted to talk to the coach in order to motivate
them and it did not work. Fortunately, it was a small number of team members
that either did not want to participate or did not attend practice the week we
conducted the tests (less than three team members). When it comes to ethics, we
did not unethically coerce participants into exercise, as we simply used an
everyday athletic team’s practice. However, there were be some issues with
taking the test, as different participants had different schedules and were not be
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
able to do the test. This was addressed by finding a test that does not take long
(about 1 minute and 50 seconds). This alleviated the problem of lack of
participants’ time to take the test immediately after aerobic activity, but before the
end of practice. Another element we had to consider was the possible injury
during participation in the study due to exercise. For this reason, we selected the
Emory Club Crew team to observe, as they already had to exercise for practices.
In terms of sample size, we ended up having 8 participants. The split of
the subjects into two large groups, which were tested randomly, served to
alternate the subjects in the three different days that we tested between pre and
post exercise testing. This random testing prevented the subjects from knowing
when they were going to be tested in order to minimize the margin of error and
prevent any unforeseen bias on the part of the subjects. Our sample group
consisted solely of males, which prevents us from applying our results to a larger
population of men and women. We administered a survey before our experiment
in order to obtain the exact numbers with regards to age (See Appendix Figure 8).
Our sample size was large enough to establish significance due to the pairing of
the data (pre and post exercise).
Results
The objective of our experiment is to determine the relationship between
acute exercise and selective focus. If our participants undergo a period of acute
exercise, we expect that they will be able to focus more efficiently. In order to
take our data, we went to the Emory Men’s Crew practice three times over the
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
duration of four days. In this way, we were able to get data from as many
participants as possible. However, there was one subject who only went to
practice once. Therefore, we took him out from our data because we did not take
sufficient results from him.
We tested our participant’s selective attention by having them take the
Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. We chose this test because it was simple and
took only a few minutes to complete. Also, the test is different each time so the
participant cannot simply memorize all the answers. The test is used in many
different experiments in order to test focus and memory.
Eight male crew members participated in our study that took place over
four days over a one week period. The mean participant age was 19.125 +/- 1.356
years. All participants were informed of the details of our experiment and gave
proper consent (see appendix ?).
Exercise improved Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task Performance
A two-proportion z-test was used to determine if the majority of the
participants increased their score after exercising. This test was used so we could
compare the proportions of the participants who scored higher or lower after
exercising. Significance was determined at α=0.05. Not only did the majority of
participants increase their score after exercising, but we also found that 100% of
participants increased their score after exercising (8), (z7=2.828; p=0.0023; p<.05).
Paired two-sample t-tests were used to determine if there was a significant change
in percent correct, number correct, and reaction time after exercise. This test was
used because our participants were each tested before and after exercise and could
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
be compared in this way; moreover, the data is continuous data. The average
percent correct of serially added numbers were significantly higher after exercise
(mean±sd: 85%±14.88%) than before exercise (76.25%±16.48%; t7=6.173;
p=0.0005) (Figure 1; See Appendix Figure 9). Also, the average number correct
of serially added numbers was significantly higher after exercise (mean±sd:
34.00±5.952) than before exercise (30.50±6.590; t7=6.173; p=0.0005) (Figure 2).
However, there was no difference in reaction time (the speed with which an
answer was entered, correct or incorrect) with or without exercise. The average
reaction time before performing exercise (mean±sd: 2964ms±1097ms) did not
significantly change after exercise (3165ms±92502ms; t7=0.6394; p=0.5429;
p>.05) (Figure 3).
Discussion
The results of our experiment show that our hypothesis turned out to be
correct. Based on paired t tests, it was found that the change in attention
(quantified by the PASAT score in number and percent correct) after exercise
versus before exercise was large enough to be statistically significant and
demonstrate exercise as beneficial to selective attention.
Many studies in the field do not address specifically attention after a bout
of acute aerobic exercise. For example, one study measured the difference
between adults who were either aerobically active or not. This study determined
aerobic activity over longer periods of time and measured the effect of this
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
chronic activity over 10 weeks (Masley, Roetzheim, & Gualtieri, 2009). It was
found that cognitive flexibility and mental speed significantly improved in the
aerobically active group versus the control group. This study, however, addressed
the broad term of “cognitive flexibility” and not selective attention. Another study
examined the effects of acute aerobic exercise on the ability of preschoolers to
sustain attention (Palmer, Miller, & Robinson, 2013). The shortcomings of this
cross-study lie in the lack of application in a clinical setting. Being a cross-study,
it lacks practical application. In addition, it examines a population of
preschoolers, which is not as applicable as a more-developed brain of a college
student.
Our study is different from those that precede it because it addresses the
immediate effect of acute aerobic exercise specifically on selective attention.
Some studies address the effect of acute aerobic exercise on attention during
exercise. For example, a study done at Rome University in Rome, Italy does
address the effect of exercise on attention (Cereatti, Casella, Manganelli, & Pesce,
2009). However, it analyzes the immediate effect of aerobic activity on attention
during the bout of exercise. In addition, it does not address selective attention;
instead, it analyzes the effect of exercise on visual attention. Visual attention
involves the attention given to what is within the visual field. Selective attention
is the ability to consciously direct and maintain visual attention in order to
perform specific tasks. Selective attention also involves re-direction of cognitive
functions and other attentions (such as auditory attention and tactile attention).
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Our study is most applicable in the aid of ADHD patients. Due to the
nature of ADHD symptoms (most notably attention deficit), our study may be
the beginning for a set of studies researching exercise as a form of therapy
for these symptoms. Apart from aiding in selective attention, exercise may
also decrease other symptoms of ADHD (Cortese, 2013). The expenditure of
energy during exercise serves to alleviate the hyperactive symptoms. This study
also suggests that further research be done in order to more accurately specify the
alleviated symptoms and other questions regarding exercise and ADHD
symptoms. Most immediately, however, our results provide information that may
assist a college student in planning their studies. For example, a student with
attention troubles may plan to exercise before studying in order to better allocate
their selective attention.
Another area of study that may benefit from our research study is recovery
from traumatic brain injury. A study done at the Universidade Federal de Santa
Maria found that aerobic activity (treadmill exercise) protected against the
increase of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) (Almeida Silva et al., 2013). PTZ was found
in previous studies to induce seizures when present in convulsive doses.
Following these results, physical exercise began to be regarded as a possible
treatment for post-traumatic seizure susceptibility. This study, however, only
evaluated the benefits of exercise on sufferers of traumatic brain injury (TBI). It
would be beneficial to conduct a research study specifically correlating the effect
of treadmill exercise on a TBI-lacking brain in order to apply the results on a
broader spectrum. In concurrence with our research, this study could suggest a
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
permanent effect of increased selective attention spanning more than the
temporary attention “boost” immediately following the exercise (due to the repair
and defense improvement properties of the brain).
The results of our research are somewhat limited in application because
that we did not specifically test ADHD patients. Because of this, we cannot
establish correlation between the effects of acute aerobic exercise on selective
attention in ADHD patients. However, we can infer, based on our research, that
there is a high possibility that our results can be reproduced with ADHD patients.
In addition, our study was lacking in that it was small and somewhat
homogeneous. Our sample size consisted solely of physically active college-aged
males. This homogeneity, however, was intentional in that it allowed us to work
with a smaller sample size and also allowed comparisons to be made more easily
between the subjects. Future studies may be able to address our shortcomings in
terms of sample size by either increasing the size, incorporating females, or even
expanding the age boundaries. Also, further studies may be able to examine the
long term effects of acute exercise on attention.
After our team’s initial literature review, we were extremely confident in
our hypothesis of a positive increase in selective attention following acute aerobic
activity. The results gathered and data analyses held our hypothesis to be mostly
true. We believe, however, that our results will hold true over a larger sample
size. Based on our research, we believe that it is largely unquestionable that there
is a level of positive significant relationship between acute aerobic exercise and
post-exercise selective attention.
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Figure Captions
Figure 1: Exercise improves participants’ percent correct in the PASAT test
The average percent correct of serially added numbers was significantly
higher after exercise (mean±sd: 85%±14.88%) than before exercise (paired two-
sample t-test: 76.2%5±16.48%; t7=6.173; p=0.0005). Asterisk (*) denotes
significant difference from non-exercise group.
Figure 2: Exercise improves the participants’ number correct in the PASAT test
Figure 3: Effect of exercise on the participant’s reaction time in the PASAT test
(two-paired t-test).
The average reaction time before performing exercise (mean±sd:
2964ms±1097ms) did not significantly change after exercise (3165ms±92502ms;
t7=0.6394; p=0.5429; p>.05).
Figure 4: Individual differences in percent correct on the PASAT pre- and post-
exercise.
100% of the participants had an increase in percent correct on the PSAT
test after exercising.
Figure 5: Individual differences in reaction time on the PASAT pre and post
exercise.
There is no significant correlation between exercise and reaction time.
Figure 6: Scatter Plot on the percent correct pre and post exercise.
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Our participants experienced a 14.76% average increase in score after 60
minutes of exercise. The participant’s average score increase was calculated using
the equation y = 0.246x + 74.013 (r= √.22146).
Figure 7: Scatter Plot on the reaction time pre and post exercise.
There is no noticeable correlation between exercise and reaction time. The
equation (y = 0.688x + 3045.8) does not indicate any significant change in score
after exercising (r = √.00045).
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Appendix
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Figure 4
Series 1 – Before exercising
Series 2 – After exercising
Figure 5
Series 1 – Before Exercising
Series 2 – After Exercising
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 80
20
40
60
80
100
120
Percent Correct Pre vs Post Exercise
Series1
Series2
Participant
Perc
ent C
orre
ct (
%)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 80
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Reaction Time Pre vs Post Exercise
Series1
Series2
Participant
Rea
ctio
n T
ime
(ms)
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Figure 6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 700
20
40
60
80
100
120
f(x) = 0.246020918599363 x + 74.0131878126421R² = 0.221459762000425
Time Exercised vs Percent Correct
Series2
Linear (Series2)
Time Exercised (Min)
Perc
ent C
orre
ct (
%)
Figure 7
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 700
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
f(x) = 0.687994542974079 x + 3045.82264665757R² = 0.00044646330833098
Time Exercised vs Reaction Time
Series2
Linear (Series2)
Time Spent Exercising
Rea
ctio
n T
ime
(ms)
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Figure 8
Participant
Age
Sex
Year at Emory
Years in Crew
Position on Team
120 M Junior 2 Varsity
218 M
Freshman 1 Varsity
322 M Other 4+ Coach
419 M
Freshman 1 Novice
519 M
Freshman 1 Novice
619 M
Freshman 1 Novice
718 M
Freshman 1 Novice
818 M
Freshman 1 Novice
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
Figure 9 (Data Tables)
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“Exercising” Proper Attention: The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Focus
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