Positive Association between Working Memory and Aerobic Endurance in Young, Healthy Adults during Basic Military Training

Abstract

Introduction: As one of the core executive functions, working memory involves the temporary storage and mental manipulation of information. These processes are essential for effective performance across a wide range of tasks (Miyake & Friedman, 2012). Military settings are often characterized by high physical and psychological demands. How individuals process information under such stressful conditions is therefore critical for successful performance. Consequently, it is important to identify the factors that contribute to an efficiently functioning working memory. Previous research has demonstrated associations between physical fitness and executive functions (e.g., Huang et al., 2015). However, few studies have examined this relationship in young, healthy adults, particularly within military contexts. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate associations between working memory and physical fitness in a young, healthy population in a military setting.

Methods: One hundred thirty-four male recruits from the Infantry School of the Swiss Armed Forces, with a mean age of 19 years, participated in the study. Working memory was assessed using a spatial N-back task administered with E-Prime. Reaction time and accuracy were extracted as outcome variables, separately for target and non-target trials. Physical performance was measured using the Swiss Army’s official fitness test, which included a shuttle-run test to assess aerobic endurance, as well as two muscle-strength tests: holding a plank position for as long as possible and pushing a medicine ball as far as possible with both hands from a seated position.

Results: Correlation analyses revealed a significant positive association between the Shuttle run performance and accuracy in the spatial N-back task (r = .27, p = .003). In contrast, no significant correlations were found between the two strength tests and working memory performance (r = -.03, p = .73; r = -.004, p = .97).

Discussion/Conclusion: Higher working memory performance is associated with better aerobic fitness amond young adults in a military setting. This result is consistent with previous findings with other populations (e.g. Noh et al., 2024) and may have practical implications for training in such environments. However, more research is needed to elucidate a causal relationship and potential benefits of interventions in a military setting.

References

Huang, T., Tarp, J., Domazet, S. L., Thorsen, A. K., Froberg, K., Andersen, L. B., & Bugge, A. (2015). Associations of Adiposity and Aerobic Fitness with Executive Function and Math Performance in Danish Adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics, 167(4), 810–815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.07.009

Miyake, A., & Friedman, N. P. (2012). The Nature and Organization of Individual Differences in Executive Functions: Four General Conclusions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411429458

Noh, K., Baumgartner, N. W., Onbasi, S. I., & Kao, S.-C. (2024). The relationship of aerobic fitness with verbal and spatial working memory: An ERP study. In Progress in Brain Research (p. S0079612324000578). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2024.04.003