Fundamentals of Mental Health

Fundamentals of Mental Health

Training sport in open-closed typology on cognitive function by controlling the role of cardiorespiratory fitness

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Razieh Khanmohammadi
Hasan Mirali
Safiye Ebrahimi
Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
10.22038/JFMH.2025.86994.3233
Abstract
Introduction: Evidence suggests that open-skill and closed-skill sports may affect cognitive functions differently. This research aimed to examine the effects of open and closed skill exercises on the executive functions (working memory, attention) of young girls, while controlling for cardiorespiratory fitness.
 
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted from October 2023 to January 2024 in one of the indoor sports halls of Urmia University. Using convenience sampling, 60 female undergraduate students were recruited and randomly assigned to three equal groups: control, closed skill, and open skill sports. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the N-back test were used to assess attention and working memory. Participants performed their specific training intervention for 10 weeks, with two 60-minute sessions per week. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and ANCOVA in SPSS 26.
 
Results: The results showed significant improvement in working memory and attention in the open and closed skill training groups (P< 0.05). After controlling for the effect of cardiorespiratory fitness, the open skill group outperformed both closed skill and control groups in memory and attention (P< 0.05).  Additionally, attention in the closed skill group was significantly better than in the control group (P< 0.05), while memory differences were not significant (P> 0.05).
 
Conclusion: The results suggest that open and closed skill sports can significantly improve cognitive functions; but when controlling the cardiorespiratory fitness, open skill sports appear to have a more pronounced effect.
Keywords
Attention
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Motor skills
Sports
Working memory
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Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 27, Issue 5
September and October 2025
Pages 313-321