Background: This study aimed to investigate how single-bout open-skill exercise (OSE), closed-skill exercise (CSE), and mixed-skill exercise intervention (MSE) influence executive function.
Method: A total of 120 students aged between 18 and 25 were separated into three groups: closed-skill exercise, open-skill exercise, and mixed-skill exercise. A task-switching test was performed before and after a single bout of exercise intervention. The simple reaction time, choice reaction time, switch cost, and correction rate were tested in a task-switching test. The results were analyzed via a two-way analysis of variance, with a significance level of α = 0.05, to compare the effects of the intervention.
Results: Only open-skill exercise exhibited a significant effect on the simple reaction time (p < 0.05). In terms of choice reaction time and switch cost, all three intervention groups exhibited significant improvements, with no significant differences observed between the three groups (p < 0.05). The correction rate did not show a significant effect post-intervention, and no significant differences were observed between the groups. The correction rate showed no significant effect after the intervention or between groups.
Conclusion: All three types of exercise can shorten choice reaction time and switch cost, but only OSE can reduce simple reaction time.
Keywords: closed-skill exercise; mixed-skill exercise; open-skill exercise; task switching.