Background: Different doses of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may affect individuals’ executive functions (EF). In this study, low-dose HIIT and moderate-dose HIIT were used to explore different doses of HIIT in terms of the impact on the EF of college students. Methods: All the participants were randomly divided into three groups. One group was not assigned any HIIT, which was called the control group. One group was assigned one session of HIIT/week, which was called the low-dose group. The last group was assigned wo sessions of HIIT/week, which was called the moderate-dose group. All groups were subjected to EF measurements. The first measurement comprised an EF a baseline measurement (Time 1) before the experiment began; the second measurement was taken (Time 2) after 6 weeks; the third measurement was taken (Time 3) after 12 weeks. Results: Time 1: We found that there was no significant difference in EF among the groups (p > 0.05). Time 2: The moderate-dose group and low-dose group improved in terms of EF. However, the improvement effect was different, and the improvement effect of the moderate-dose group EF was better than that of the low-dose group. The second measurement, EF was better for all exercise groups than for the control group. Inhibition test (reaction time: 3.97–8.24%, p < 0.05, effect size: 0.413); cognitive flexibility (accuracy: 6.66–7.32%, p < 0.05, effect size: 0.203; reaction time: 5.55–7.49%, p < 0.05, effect size: 0.521); working memory (accuracy: 4.05–4.69%, p < 0.05, effect size: 0.515; reaction time: 2.73–5.42%, p < 0.05, effect size: 0.430). Time 3: the moderate-dose group and low-dose group showed a downward trend in terms of EF. Conclusion: Low-dose HIIT and moderate-dose HIIT improved the EF in college students, but moderate-dose HIIT was better. This study suggests that moderate-dose HIIT should be adopted to improve the EF in college students.

Background: The research has indicated that elite football players demonstrate cognitive advantages in visual working memory capacity (VWMC); however, it remains unclear whether this effect transfers to other domains cognitive advantages. Object: This study investigated the VWMC differences between elite football players and novices, with a particular focus on cognitive advantages. Methods: Elite football players (specialized in football) and novices were selected to complete the VWMC test task under three different stimulus conditions, then the differences in the VWMCs of elite football players and novices were analyzed. Results: In comparison to novices, elite football players demonstrated cognitive advantages in VWMCs, along with a possible transfer effect. Additionally, the study showed that the reaction times among elite football players and novices differed, with elite players demonstrating shorter reaction times, which is a difference that was amplified as the number of stimuli increased. Conclusion: The VWMCs of elite football players was better than that of novices under professional and meaningless conditions, which indicates that the VWMCs of elite football players has a transfer effect. Through further analysis of the reaction times cognitive advantages, it was found that there are significant differences between elite football players and novices when responding to the stimuli in both professional and meaningless conditions.