Holger Heppe
Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences

Horstmarer Landweg 62b
48149 Münster

T: +49 (0) 251/83 32462
F: +49 (0) 251/83 32466
holger.heppe@uni-muenster.de

Joined OCC in 2015

Research Project

Physical activity (PA) can improve cognitive functioning throughout the lifespan. Studies indicate that cognitive benefits from physical exercise depend on intensity, duration, type of exercise, person variables, time lag between PA and cognitive testing and many other factors. The majority of studies focus on the effect of exercise on executive functions and other cognitive measures, but visual-spatial skills were given less consideration. Visual-spatial skills can be subdivided into spatial visualization, spatial perception and mental rotation. Previous findings indicate a partial overlap between the activated areas in the brain when solving mental rotation tasks and when being vestibularly stimulated, e. g. in motor and parietal areas. It can therefore be assumed that physical rotations and comparable stimulations may impact on mental rotation performance. In this research project, cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches are applied to explore transfer effects of physical training on visual-spatial skills.

PhD Committee

Prof. Dr. Karen Zentgraf
Prof. Dr. Mathias Hegele
apl. Prof. Dr. Eric Eils

Publications

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., Fleddermann, M.-T., & Zentgraf, K. (2016). The relationship between expertise in sports, visuospatial, and basic cognitive skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 904. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00904.

Conference Contributions

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., & Zentgraf, K. (2015). Cognitive measures correlate with mental rotation of human figures. Poster presentation at NASPSPA Conference, Portland, USA.

Heppe, H., Schumacher, S., & Zentgraf, K. (2015). Are experts in physical rotation better in mental rotation? Presentation at NASPSPA Conference, Portland, USA.

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., Schumacher, S., & Zentgraf, K. (2015). Mentale Rotation von Rhönradturnern und anderen Sportlern. Presentation at the 47. Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie (asp), Freiburg, Germany.

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., & Zentgraf, K. (2015). Kognitive Leistungen korrelieren mit mentalen Rotationsleistungen von menschlichen Figuren. Poster presentation at the 14. Tagung der dvs-Sektion Sportmotorik, München, Germany.

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., Bohn, C., & Zentgraf, K. (2014). Einfluss von Körperdrehungen im Rhönrad auf mentale Rotationsleistungen von Studierenden. Presentation at the 46. Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie (asp), München, Germany.

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., Bohn, C., & Zentgraf, K. (2014). Physical rotation experience and mental rotation performance – acute effects of a gym-wheel intervention. Poster presentation at the AIESSEP World Congress 2014, Auckland, New Zealand.

Heppe, H., Kohler, A., Bohn, C., & Zentgraf, K. (2013). Einfluss von Dreherfahrung auf mentale Rotationsleistungen – Akute Effekte einer Rhönradintervention. Poster presentation at the 21. dvs-Hochschultag, Konstanz, Germany.

Göttsch, K., Heppe, H., & Zentgraf, K. (2013). Agility- und Quickness-Training im Jugend-Fußball – Effekte einer Trainingsintervention. Poster presentation at the 21. dvs-Hochschultag, Konstanz, Germany.

CV