Enhancing working memory by performing agriculture work

Working memory is the capacity for keeping current information in mind for a brief period, while using this information for the task at hand. It is the ‘workbench’ where current thinking takes place. Children having working memory problems take a longer time to process information. They are not capable to cope with timed activities and speedy demonstration of information. As an effect, they often end up deserting the activities out of frustration. The current research attempts to compare the working memory of university students who were involved in voluntary agriculture work as selfless work, and those not involved in voluntary agriculture work. A sample of 100 female students was selected, out of which 50 students were regularly doing voluntary agriculture work as social/ community service and 50 students were not involved in voluntary agriculture work. To measure the working memory, three sub-tests from WAIS-IIIUK, Third Edition (Wechsler, 1998) was used. The data was analysed on the basis of Mann-Whitney U Test. Results showed that students involved in voluntary agriculture work have better working memory (Zu = 2.730, p < 0.01) than those students not involved in voluntary agriculture work. The present investigation is unique in taking up agriculture work as a physical activity to improve the working memory of students. It can be rightly implied that the fitness of the body carry inferences for the fitness of the mind.