The effectiveness of body psychotherapy on improving working memory ability and inhibition level in elementary school students

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of body psychotherapy on improving working memory and inhibition level among elementary students. Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this clinical trial consist all elementary school students aged 7-12 years in Mashhad in 2018-19 academic year. Number of 44 students from 4 governmental schools (two boy-specific and two girl-specific schools) were selected by voluntary and purposeful sampling method and were randomized into two groups (12 boys and 10 girls in experimental group, 11 boys and 11 girls in control group). The experimental group received thirty-six 60-min sessions for 3 months during which the control group was placed on the waiting list. The measuring tools used in this study were computerized tests of working memory (N-Back) and Go no Go test. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and independent t-test. Results: The results showed that students in the experimental group had better performance in than control group in the components of the number of correct and incorrect answers, the number of presentation and inhibition errors, in the working memory and Go no Go tests (P= 0.005). However, the mean time component in the Go no Go test was not significant (P= 0.17). Conclusion: These findings suggest that body psychotherapy can be an effective way to improve working memory ability and retention level among elementary students.