Introduction: Mongolian traditional medicine classifies individuals according to innate constitutional types determined by the balance of Khi (wind), Shar (bile), and Badgan (phlegm). These constitutional categories are believed to influence both physiological and cognitive characteristics, including memory function. In contrast, contemporary cognitive psychology explains memory performance through mechanisms such as attention, information processing, and memory consolidation. Investigating the relationship between constitutional types and memory performance may provide an integrative framework that bridges traditional medical theory with modern cognitive science. Methods: A total of 244 undergraduate students voluntarily participated in the study. Constitutional types were identified using a questionnaire developed on the basis of the classical text The Four Medical Tantras. Memory performance was assessed in accordance with the Atkinson–Shiffrin model of memory and included measures of comprehension time, comprehension level, and long-term memory retention. Long-term memory retention was evaluated three days after the initial assessment and was expressed as a percentage of retained information.
The findings were interpreted descriptively at an observational level, as inferential statistical analyses were not conducted. Results: Students with a dominant Badgan constitution demonstrated relatively slower comprehension but more stable and higher long-term memory retention. Those with a dominant Shar constitution exhibited faster comprehension and higher immediate understanding, but comparatively lower long-term memory retention.
In contrast, students with a dominant Khi constitution showed greater variability and instability in both comprehension and long-term memory performance. Conclusion The findings suggest that constitutional types may be associated with distinct patterns of comprehension and long-term memory performance. The observed trends appear broadly consistent with theoretical descriptions in Mongolian traditional medicine; however, further studies employing larger sample sizes and rigorous statistical analyses are necessary to confirm and clarify these associations.