Background This review provides a historical overview of physical activity interventions designed by American educators and an evaluation of research that has assessed the effects of exercise on children's mental function. Method Historical descriptions of the emergence of American physical education doctrine throughout the 20th century were evaluated. Prior reviews of studies that assessed the effects of single acute bouts of exercise and the effects of chronic exercise training on children's mental function were examined and the results of recent studies were summarized. Results Physical activity interventions designed for American children have reflected two competing views: activities should promote physical fitness and activities should promote social, emotional, and intellectual development. Research results indicate that exercise fosters the emergence of children's mental function; particularly executive functioning. The route by which physical activity impacts mental functioning is complex and is likely moderated by several variables, including physical fitness level, health status, and numerous psycho-social factors. Conclusion Physical activity interventions for children should be designed to meet multiple objectives; e.g., optimize physical fitness, promote health-related behaviors that offset obesity, and facilitate mental development.

We tested the hypothesis that quiet eye the final fixation before the initiation of a movement in aiming tasks, is used to scale the movement's parameters. Two groups of 12 participants (N=24) threw darts to targets in the horizontal and vertical axes under conditions of higher (random) or lower (blocked) target variability. Supporting our predictions, random practice and target changes in the vertical axis led to longer quiet eye duration than did blocked practice and target changes in the horizontal axis. Our data suggest that quiet eye is not simply a mediating factor in accuracy, but is responsive to the task's programming demands, being influenced by the necessity to reparameterize the movement from one trial to the next.

The current concussion testing models test athletes' cognitive and physical function in isolation. The stability reliability of the global switch cost index obtained under DT conditions suggests that it may be a useful measure for clinicians. The DT paradigm presents another test methodology that may be useful for making return-to-play decisions as part of a comprehensive concussion management plan.

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