Physical Activity Modulates the Effect of Cognitive Control on Episodic Memory

Physical activity may improve cognitive control and episodic memory. Cognitive control could exert positive or negative influences on episodic memory. This study aimed to test whether physical activity modulated the effect of proactive and reactive control on episodic memory. Participants reported their physical activity in the past week, encoded episodic memory incidentally in proactive and reactive conditions, and subsequently retrieved their memories of items and sources. Subsequent item memory was better when items were encoded in proactive vs. reactive condition. Smaller condition difference in subsequent item memory was related to better cognitive control ability. Cognitive control completely mediated the relation between physical activity and the condition difference in subsequent item memory. Additionally, condition difference in subsequent source memory was negatively related to cognitive control. After controlling for cognitive control, greater physical activity was positively related to the difference in subsequent source memory between proactive and reactive conditions. Altogether, the findings suggested that physical activity modulated the effect of proactive and reactive control on subsequent item memory through improving cognitive control ability, but it was independent of cognitive control for subsequent source memory.