Abstract:
The purpose of this research was to develop a mixed Rusie Dutton and yoga exercise program, and to study the effect of the program on increasing executive functioning in early adults. A sample was recruited from Thai traditional medicine students, Sirindhorn College of Public Health, Chonburi Province. Forty students were randomly assigned to experimental (n=20) and control groups (n=20). Executive functioning was measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the 2-Back Task, the Stroop Color-Word Task (SCWT), and by brain waves measured during testing activities. Data were analysed by using multivariate analysis of variance and t-test.
The results revealed that: 1) the developed program which consisted of stretching muscles, pressing organs, breathing exercise, and meditation was effective in increasing executive functioning in early adults; 2) after program participation, executive functioning had significantly increased in the experimental group in comparison to pretest results, and to the control group; 3) the experimental group had significantly increased the ERD% of the upper alpha wave level in the WCST at F3, F4, F8, FP2, P4, while testing with the 2-Back task at F3, F4, FP2, FZ, and SCWT at F3, F4 and 4), after participating in the developed program, the experimental group showed an increase in the ERD% of alpha wave level compared with the control group while testing with the WCST at F3, F4, FP2, P4, with the 2-Back task at F3, F4, FP2, FZ, and with the SCWT at F3, F4, F7. This study indicated that a mixed Rusie Dutton and yoga exercise program can increase executive functioning and can be used as an alternative method of developing executive functions in early adults.