Acute Effect of Cognitive Compromise during Physical Exercise on Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Education

Nuria Ureña, Noelia Fernández, David Cárdenas, Iker Madinabeitia and Francisco Alarcón
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Nuria Ureña: Department of Faculty of Education, University of Murcia, Street Campus Universitario, Espinardo, 12, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Noelia Fernández: Department of Faculty of Education, University of Murcia, Street Campus Universitario, Espinardo, 12, 30100 Murcia, Spain
David Cárdenas: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Iker Madinabeitia: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Francisco Alarcón: Department of General and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: Self-regulation (SR) in pre-schoolers is a strong predictor of different aspects of mental health and wellbeing. However, SR only recently has been examined concerning physical activity and its effects on cognitive performance. In the present study, 49 preschool children aged 4–5 years were submitted to classroom movement breaks (CMBs) of 15-min with different degrees of difficulty. Before beginning the intervention, SR (i.e., head, toes, knees and shoulders test, HTKS) and skill levels were assessed for tasks demand adjustment to individual resources and the counterbalanced assignment of the participants to the groups. Similarly, after the intervention, the performance on the HTKS was re-evaluated. There was a general intervention effect on the SR of pre-schoolers, regardless of the difficulty level of the task [F (3) = 11.683, p -value < 0.001, η 2 p = 0.438]. Nevertheless, it seems that only when CMBs stimulate the children cognitively with optimal difficulty, is it possible to obtain benefits. We recommend providing teachers with professional support when implementing physical activity breaks in their daily program to generate an individualized level of cognitive load that would allow children to reach the optimal challenge point.

Keywords: bicycle; executive functions; physical activity; cognitive implication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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