Improving cognitive performance in psychogeriatric patients: the influence of physical exercise

Performance measurement in psychogeriatric patients does not provide full insight into their potential abilities (competence). By systematically varing environmental conditions, performance levels can be seen to vary with them. The experiment discussed here demonstrates the influence of movement therapy on the results of some psychological tests. The subjects were old people (average age 82 years) who at an advanced age were confronted with mental and physical handicaps of such a nature that they had to be admitted to a psychogeriatric nursing home. Forty patients were divided into two groups. Both groups were tested twice with an interval of one month. A control group was tested twice under identical circumstances. In the first test, both groups were examined under the same conditions. The second test of the exercise group took place shortly after the subjects had taken part in physical exercise. The psychological tests consisted of a free-recall task, a test for visuomotor coordination and a recognition task. The results showed that in the free-recall test the exercise group had improved more than the control group. A qualitative analysis of the free-recall and recognition performance seemed to suggest that the exercise group showed greater retrieval activity than the control group. Visuo motor abilities did not significantly vary under experimental conditions, though the observed changes were compatible with improved cognitive performance in the exercise group.