Acute Effect of Cognitive Compromise during Physical Exercise on Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Education
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Bicycle Executive functions Physical activity Cognitive implication
Fecha
2020Referencia bibliográfica
Ureña, N.; Fernández, N.; Cárdenas, D.; Madinabeitia, I.; Alarcón, F. Acute Effect of Cognitive Compromise during Physical Exercise on Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Education. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 9325. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249325
Patrocinador
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Secretaria de Estado de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion) DEP2017-8987-RResumen
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
2p = 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.