Engagement in sports and children’s cognitive abilities:an analysis of executive functions
Studies examining the correlation between children’s participation in sports activities and their executive functions (EFs) are relatively scarce, especially those that control the impact of participants’ intelligence. This research aimed to compare the EFs of children engaged in sports with those o...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Belgrade, Teacher Education Faculty
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Inovacije u Nastavi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.inovacijeunastavi.rs/en/37-4-2en/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Studies examining the correlation between children’s participation in sports activities and their executive functions (EFs) are relatively scarce, especially those that control the impact of participants’ intelligence. This research aimed to compare the EFs of children engaged in sports with those of their non-athletic peers, while controlling the impact of intelligence. Additionally, it compared the EFs of children participating in open skills sports (OSS) with those practicing closed skills sports (CSS). The sample included 83 participants (53% girls), aged 9-11 years, of whom 40 engaged in sports during their leisure time. Intelligence was evaluated using Raven’s Progressive Matrices, while working memory was assessed using tasks such as Digit Span Backward and Figure Span Backward. Inhibitory control was measured using the Dodrill’s Stroop Test and the Go/No-Go task, while cognitive flexibility was evaluated with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Planning skills were assessed using the Twenty Questions Task and the Tower of London. The results revealed that children engaged in sports achieved better outcomes only in nonverbal working memory compared to the non-athletes. Involvement in OSS, rather than CSS, is associated with superior performance in nonverbal working memory. The findings suggest that engaging in cognitively stimulating physical activities holds potential benefits for the cognitive development of typically developing children. The observed relationship between sports activities and working memory further implies potential benefits for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This underscores the necessity for additional research aimed at exploring specific mechanisms and adapting interventions to foster cognitive development in this group of children. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0352-2334 2335-0806 |