In elderly psychiatric individuals, physical fitness training has been related to improved cognitive performance on several scales (Powell, 1974; Stamford, Hambacher, & Fallica, 1974). The results with normal adults and children, however, are not clear (Folkins & Sime, 1981). The purpose of the present study was to test the effects of cardiovascular fitness traini~g on cognitive functioning, relevant to academic performance, in college students. The following measures were used: Shipley- Institute of Living Scale, Rotter's Internal-External Control of Reinforcement Scale, a Student Learning Styles / Questionnaire, self~report data indicating hours spent studying, quality of studies, and mental alertness during daily activities, and a bicycle ergometer test to determine physical fitness levels. It was predicted that a relationship exists between physical fitness training and these variables that presumably affect academic performance. A physical fitness training effect was not found for the experimental group, which indicates that the experimental manipulation of the independent variable was not complete. Thus, no research hypothese could be supported. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pacific.edu/oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-3078 |
| Date | 01 January 1982 |
| Creators | Butler, Annette M. |
| Publisher | Scholarly Commons |
| Source Sets | University of the Pacific |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations |
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