Effect of Nadanusandhana on sustained attention and working memory among adolescents

Abstract

Background:- Sustain attention allow students to maintain their attention on a task or activity over a period of time. It assists students to process the material presented, store information, and solve problems. Working memory is also crucial for students to store and manipulate information for short duration. Adolescence is an important stage of development during which many changes occur in body involving physical, mental, emotional and cognition related changes. Studies on Yoga and meditation have shown that it helps to improve cognition related abilities including memory and attention. Present study aims to see if any changes occur among adolescents in sustained attention and working memory through practice of Nadanusandhana. Methods and materials 68 students within age range from 11 to 15 years participated in study. They were equally divided into two group (experiment and control group). Two participants from each group withdrew from study. Total 64 were analysed. Digit span test was used to assess sustained attention and digit vigilance test was used for sustained attention. Intervention was given for one month five day per week. Total 21 session were conducted on Nadanuasandhana. RESULT There was a significant improvement within experiment group. Wilcoxon’s signed rank test suggested that p-value of variables total error and total time for digit vigilance test is less than 0.01 and p-value all variables related to digit span test is less than 0.05. Percentage change in mean values are, digit span test (5.123%), digit span backward (4.607%), total time taken for digit vigilance test (2.0519%), total error (26.06%). However, between group test did not show any significant effect on variables of digit span test and digit vigilance test. Digit span forward p-value=0.061, digit span backward p value=0.338, Total time taken for digit vigilance test p-value=0.188, total error p-value=0.116. CONCLUSION One month intervention of nadanusandhana showed significant improvement within experiment

group when compared to baseline data. However, it did not show any significant improvement in sustained attention and working memory between experiment and control group. The reason for no significant change between the groups could be relatively short duration of intervention and environmental factors. Therefore, these finding need confirmation from studies with a large sample size. KEYWORD Digit span backward Digit span forward Digit vigilance test Nadanusandhana Adolescence