Aerobic Fitness Relates to Superior Exact and Approximate Arithmetic Processing in College-Aged Adults

Abstract

Compelling evidence supports the association between the attribute of aerobic fitness and achievement scores on standardized tests of mathematics, but the underlying reasons for this association remain unclear. The present investigation sought to clarify the nature of the relationship between aerobic fitness and arithmetic processing by examining the extent to which these fitness-related differences in mathematics are attributed to individual differences in more efficient processing (efficiency hypothesis) or enhanced allocation of cognitive resources (resources hypothesis) in a sample of 118 college-aged adults. Combining behavioral measures to examine speed and accuracy of processing with pupillary measures that indicate resource allocation, participants completed a complex arithmetic task prior to performing a maximal graded exercise test to assess their aerobic fitness level. The arithmetic task comprised problems with varying levels of difficulty, requiring participants to determine whether a sum of two numbers was greater than or less than 100, which could be solved using either approximate or exact calculation strategies. Higher aerobic fitness was associated with 1) shorter reaction time across all problems, 2) superior accuracy for difficult problems employing exact arithmetic, and 3) greater task-evoked pupillary reactivity for the difficult problems requiring approximate and exact arithmetic strategies. These results indicate that individuals higher in aerobic fitness have more cognitive resources available to solve difficult problems faster and more accurately. These data provide initial evidence to suggest that fitness-related differences in mathematics achievement may result from modulation of cognitive resources underlying superior execution of procedural strategies during arithmetic performance. Accordingly, higher cardiovascular health may be implicated in superior health literacy (e.g., interpreting blood sugar readings and other clinical data), thus affecting the motivation to take action and engage in health behaviors based on quantitative information.