A Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Motor Skills and Executive Functions in Typically-developing Children

Gandotra, Aditi; Csaba, Sára; Sattar, Yasar; Cserényi, Vanda; Bizonics, Róbert; Cserjési, Renáta; Kótyuk, Eszter

doi:10.1080/15248372.2021.1979554

Cited by 27 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 118 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Childhood is a relevant period for the development of complex motor skills and higher-order cognitive skills, such as executive functions [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ], which allow for the regulation of thoughts and actions during goal-directed behavior [ 5 ]. There is consensus for the classification of these skills into three main dimensions: inhibition or inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility [ 6 , 7 ], along with another set of higher-order processes, including reasoning, problem solving, and planning [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Current theoretical perspectives suggest that when interacting with their environment, children face situations that require control, coordination, and the integration of multiple body movements into a coherent and organized system, which drives cognitive development and enables the acquisition of new, varied, and complex motor skills that appear, for example, when learning a sport [ 2 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. However, practicing motor tasks leads to automatization, at which point these cognitive resources, represented by executive functions and others (such as attention), can be allocated to new motor learning that requires the involvement of these skills [ 2 , 3 ]. This functional relationship is supported by studies demonstrating the parallel activation of brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia, involved in the performance of complex motor tasks and executive functions [ 4 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of the Type of Sports Practice on the Executive Functions of Schoolchildren

Contreras-Osorio

Guzmán‐Guzmán

Cerda-Vega

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is a close relationship between the development of complex motor skills and executive functions during childhood. This study aimed to analyze the differences in different dimensions of executive functions in children practicing an open-skill sport (handball) and a closed-skill sport (athletics) and controls who did not participate in sports activities after a 12-week intervention period. School-aged male and female subjects (n = 90; mean ± standard deviation = 11.45 ± 0.68 years) participated in a non-randomized controlled study. Data analysis was performed using the STATA V.15 statistical software. The athletics intervention promoted semantic fluency (p = 0.007), whereas handball increased inhibition (p = 0.034). Additionally, physical activity improved in both intervention groups (p = < 0.001), whereas sprint performance improved in the handball group following intervention (p = 0.008), lower body muscular power improved in athletics (p = 0.04), and evidence of improvement in upper body muscular strength was noted in handball (p = 0.037). In turn, an increase in the Physical Activity Questionnaire for older Children score showed an association with the Standard Ten scores of executive functions. In conclusion, compared to controls, both athletics and handball induced meaningful improvements in physical activity and executive functions. However, sport-specific adaptations were noted after athletics (i.e., semantic fluency and lower body muscular power) and handball (i.e., inhibition, sprint, and upper-body muscular strength).

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the Type of Sports Practice on the Executive Functions of Schoolchildren

Contreras-Osorio

Guzmán‐Guzmán

Cerda-Vega

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Relatedly, in a study with adult veterans (Tolle et al, 2020), pegboard completion times correlated with inhibitory control, leading the authors to suggest that the grooved pegboard task should be viewed as a measure of executive functioning. In a recent meta-analysis of children’s executive functioning in relation to motor skills (Gandotra et al, 2022), manual dexterity (including the pegboard task) was significantly associated with measures of working memory ( r = .21), inhibitory control ( r = .19), and cognitive flexibility ( r = .17), though effect sizes were small. Given these findings, it is important for studies exploring relations between motor skills and ToM to consider both language and executive functioning as potential “third” variables.…”

Section: Motor Skills Language Development and Executive Functioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Executive functions encompass a broad range of cognitive abilities, including working memory, inhibition, and shifting/cognitive flexibility, that are associated with individual differences in ToM during middle childhood (Lagattuta et al, 2014; Wilson et al, 2018). Likewise, a recent meta-analysis noted small yet significant correlations between fine motor skill (manual dexterity) and working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility (Gandotra et al, 2022). Our study was limited in its use of a dataset that only had measures of visual-spatial working memory and verbal short-term memory.…”

Section: Relating Executive Functions To Both Theory Of Mind and Fine...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking fine motor skills with theory of mind in school-age children

Obeid

DeNigris

Brooks

2022

International Journal of Behavioral Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Motor skills have been linked to language and social development with implications for theory of mind. This study examined theory of mind (attribution of intentions task) in school-age children ( N = 62, mean age 8 years; 2 months, standard deviation [ SD] = 1;3) in relation to fine motor skills (grooved pegboard), receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), receptive grammar (Test for the Reception of Grammar), reading comprehension (Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests), verbal short-term (nonword repetition), and visual-spatial working memory (one-shape array memory). All variables except verbal short-term memory correlated with accuracy on theory of mind. In regression models, fine motor skills accounted for variance in theory of mind after controlling for age, language, and working memory. The results add to research linking fine motor skills with faux pas understanding, indicating the potentially broad impact of motor skills on social cognition. Given the cross-sectional study design, longitudinal research is warranted to address causality.

show abstract

“…Children have a natural tendency to study their body and the world around them, while developing their motor skills (Williams & Monsma, 2006). Most developmental changes in motor performance over time are considered a product of maturity and general interaction with the environment and occur linearly (Haubenstricker & Seefeldt, 1986), however, it has been shown that children can learn motor skills if appropriate training programs are implemented and if sufficient exercise time is provided (Zipp & Gentile, 2010;Brown, 2010;Palmer et al, 2020), because motor skills are significantly correlated with cognitive development factor (Iivonen & Sääkslahti, 2014;Van der Fels et al, 2015;Gandotra et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relation Between Physical Abilities and Fundamental Motor Skills in Preschoolers

Milenković

2022

Teor. metod. fiz. vihov.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to determine the interconnection between physical abilities and fundamental motor skills in preschool children. The aim was also to determine the differences in the observed variables in relation to gender. Materials and methods. The testing successfully included 52 preschool children, 30 boys and 22 girls. Five tests of physical ability (modified agility "T" (MAT) test, broad jump test, standing balance test, squat test and sit up test) were used, and fundamental motor skills were assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development, 3rd edition (TGMD-3). One-way ANOVA was used to determine the effects of gender on results in physical abilities and fundamental motor skills. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relation between physical abilities and fundamental motor skills. The results of this work indicated, in most cases, a moderate and significant correlation of fundamental motor skills and parameters of physical abilities both in the total sample and also individually in boys and girls (p≤0.05). A significant difference in almost all variables of physical abilities and fundamental motor skills was noted in favor of boys (p≤0.05 and p≤0.01), except for the Standing balance test which indicated that there were not considerable differences between the sexes (p > 0.05). Conclusions. So it can be concluded that the information obtained can lead physical education educators to better understanding of the relations between motor status variables, which further enables them to work effectively with children who will, by virtue of a proper physical development and education, become and remain physically active throughout their life.

show abstract

A Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Motor Skills and Executive Functions in Typically-developing Children

Cited by 27 publications

References 118 publications

Effects of the Type of Sports Practice on the Executive Functions of Schoolchildren

Effects of the Type of Sports Practice on the Executive Functions of Schoolchildren

Linking fine motor skills with theory of mind in school-age children

Relation Between Physical Abilities and Fundamental Motor Skills in Preschoolers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About