scholarly journals Sports, Executive Functions and Academic Performance: A Comparison between Martial Arts, Team Sports, and Sedentary Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11745
Author(s):  
Giulia Giordano ◽  
Manuel Gómez-López ◽  
Marianna Alesi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Iowa Gambling Task ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Gambling Task ◽  
Or Team ◽  
Regular Practice

It is well known that curricular physical activity benefits children’s executive functions and academic performance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether there is an influence of extracurricular sports on executive functions and academic performance. However, it is less known which specific types of the sport better enhance executive functions in children; to investigate this issue, this study compared the performance on executive functions tasks and academic performance in one hundred and two boys and girls with an average age of 11.84 years recruited from Italian schools and gyms (N = 102), who participated in martial arts or team sports or were sedentary children. Executive functions were measured with the tests: Attenzione e Concentrazione, Digit Span test, Tower of London, IOWA Gambling task BVN 5-11, and BVN 12-18. Results demonstrated that children practicing martial arts showed better executive functioning and higher school marks than those involved in team sports or not involved in any sports. Furthermore, participants aged 12 to 15 years old outperformed in cool and hot executive functions tasks and had a better academic performance. Thus, the present findings supported the view that regular practice of extracurricular sports enhances executive functions development and consequently influences academic performance.

Impaired Perception of Unintentional Transgression of Social Norms after Prefrontal Cortex Damage: Relationship to Decision Making, Emotion Recognition, and Executive Functions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riadh Ouerchefani ◽  
Naoufel Ouerchefani ◽  
Mohamed Riadh Ben Rejeb ◽  
Didier Le Gall
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Iowa Gambling Task ◽  
Gambling Task ◽  
Basic Emotions

Abstract Objective Patients with prefrontal cortex damage often transgress social rules and show lower accuracy in identifying and explaining inappropriate social behavior. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the ability to perceive other unintentional transgressions of social norms and both decision making and emotion recognition as these abilities are critical for appropriate social behavior. Method We examined a group of patients with focal prefrontal cortex damage (N = 28) and a group of matched control participants (N = 28) for their abilities to detect unintentional transgression of social norms using the “Faux-Pas” task of theory of mind, to make advantageous decisions on the Iowa gambling task, and to recognize basic emotions on the Ekman facial affect test. Results The group of patients with frontal lobe damage was impaired in all of these tasks compared with control participants. Moreover, all the “Faux-Pas”, Iowa gambling, and emotion recognition tasks were significantly associated and predicted by executive measures of inhibition, flexibility, or planning. However, only measures from the Iowa gambling task were associated and predicted performance on the “Faux-Pas” task. These tasks were not associated with performance in recognition of basic emotions. These findings suggest that theory of mind, executive functions, and decision-making abilities act in an interdependent way for appropriate social behavior. However, theory of mind and emotion recognition seem to have distinct but additive effects upon social behavior. Results from VLSM analysis also corroborate these data by showing a partially overlapped prefrontal circuitry underlying these cognitive domains.

Physical Culture and Sports Preferences of Employees of Oil and Gas Producing Enterprises: Behavioral and Biological Factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 173-181
Author(s):  
Lena G. Pashchenko ◽  
◽  
Alexey.V. Korichko ◽  
Svetlana A. Davydova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Physical Culture ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
The Third ◽  
Regulatory Systems

The relevance of this study is due to the need to optimize the physical activity of workers engaged in heavy physical labor, which is impossible without taking into account their physical culture and sports preferences. The aim of the study was to identify the physical culture and sports preferences of employees of oil and gas production enterprises, as well as factors that characterize the features of their motor behavior and body functioning. To analyze the subjects' physical culture and sports preferences and features of physical activity, a survey was conducted; the Attitude to Competitive Physical Culture and Sports Activities questionnaire was used; the heart rate variability was studied using the hardware and software complex “Omega”. The significance of the difference in the characteristics in the compared groups was verified using the Mann-Whitney U-test. The study involved 49 men of mature age who are engaged in professional activities at oil and gas production enterprises, using out-of-hours means of physical culture and sports of a recreational or sports orientation. The subjects were differentiated based on their physical culture and sports preferences, depending on the manifestation of rivalry in them: 1) with individual rivalry (n1=19); 2) with team rivalry (n2=15); 3) with avoiding open rivalry (n3=15). All the men who prefer martial arts did sports in the past or continue to do sports in the present. Of those who prefer team sports, this is 80%, and of those who avoid open competition, preferring individual running, recreational walking or strength training, this is 54%. All representatives of the first group systematically engage in physical culture and sports. Thirty-three per cent of men who prefer activities without rivalry and seven per cent of men doing team sports do sports from time to time. Subjective readiness to participate in physical culture and sports events is more evident in men who prefer martial arts. To a lesser extent, men from the third group are ready to participate in events with the manifestation of maximum physical capabilities. The indicator that characterizes the interest in knowledge in the field of physical culture and sports, as well as the activity of attracting other people to participate in competitions, prevails among men who prefer martial arts. The most optimal indicators of the activity of regulatory systems are observed in men who prefer team sports. In subjects who engage in martial arts in their free time, the indicators of the autonomic regulation of the heart are also within the normal range, but closer to the border that characterizes the transition from the vegetative balance to the predominance of the sympathetic department. In the representatives of the third group who refuse open competition and prefer individual activities, there is a more pronounced tension of the regulatory systems. The results obtained should be taken into account when developing corporate programs to optimize the physical activity of employees of oil and gas producing enterprises.

scholarly journals Evaluar la creatividad y las funciones ejecutivas: propuesta para la escuela del futuro

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Sánchez-Macías ◽  
Jairo Rodríguez-Media ◽  
José Luis Aparicio-Herguedas
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Iowa Gambling Task ◽  
Gambling Task ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Toma De Decisiones

Se presenta un estudio que pretende proponer estrategias de intervención didáctica y de evaluación para desarrollar y mejorar el funcionamiento ejecutivo y la creatividad en el alumnado de secundaria. Dicho estudio parte del análisis de las variables creatividad y funciones ejecutivas (memoria de trabajo (actualización), planificación, inhibición (verbal y motora), flexibilidad y toma de decisiones) medidas a través del Test de pensamiento creativo de Torrance(creatividad), la Escala de inteligencia de Weschler (WISC-IV, memoria de trabajo), Torre de Hanoi (planificación), Stroop (inhibición verbal), Go/no Go (inhibición motora), Test de Categorías de Wisconsin (flexibilidad) y el Iowa Gambling Task (toma de decisiones). Se han buscado las posibles relaciones entre las variables a partir de un diseño descriptivo, correlacional y transversal, en el que los resultados muestran que flexibilidad y creatividad se relacionan (r=) e inhibición verbal y creatividad también se relacionan (r=). A la luz de estos resultados se proponen estrategias metodológicas basadas en la investigación y la resolución de problemas y de evaluación formativa que insten, activando las funciones ejecutivas, a la autoevalución crítica, participada, la evaluación compartida con iguales. A study is presented that aims to propose didactic intervention and evaluation strategies to develop and improve executive functioning and creativity in secondary school students. Said study starts from the analysis of the variables creativity and executive functions (working memory (updating), planning, inhibition (verbal and motor), flexibility and decision-making) measured through the Torrance Creative Thinking Test (creativity), Weschler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV, working memory), Tower of Hanoi (planning), Stroop (verbal inhibition), Go / no Go (motor inhibition), Wisconsin Category Test (flexibility) and the Iowa Gambling Task (decision making). The possible relationships between the variables have been sought from a descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional design, in which the results show that flexibility and creativity are related (r =) and verbal inhibition and creativity are also related (r =). In light of these results, methodological strategies based on research and problem solving and formative evaluation are proposed that encourage, activating executive functions, critical, participatory self-evaluation, shared evaluation with peers.

Decision-making and cognitive abilities: A review of associations between Iowa Gambling Task performance, executive functions, and intelligence

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 562-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maggie E. Toplak ◽  
Geoff B. Sorge ◽  
André Benoit ◽  
Richard F. West ◽  
Keith E. Stanovich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Iowa Gambling Task ◽  
Gambling Task

scholarly journals Executive Functions Do Not Mediate Prospective Relations between Indices of Physical Activity and Academic Performance: The Active Smarter Kids (ASK) Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrine N. Aadland ◽  
Yngvar Ommundsen ◽  
Eivind Aadland ◽  
Kolbjørn S. Brønnick ◽  
Arne Lervåg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Executive Functions

scholarly journals Academic Achievement in Spanish Secondary School Students: The Inter-Related Role of Executive Functions, Physical Activity and Gender

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1816
Author(s):  
Elena Escolano-Pérez ◽  
Marta Bestué
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Academic Year

There is a growing interest in determining which variables contribute to students’ academic performance, since this performance is associated with their wellbeing and with the progress of the nation. This study analyzed whether different variables (executive functions and physical activity levels, gender and academic year) of 177 Spanish Compulsory Secondary School students contributed to their academic performance. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2 (BRIEF-2), Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) and an ad hoc questionnaire were used to determine the students’ executive functioning, physical activity level, gender and academic year, respectively. Students’ grades were considered to be indicators of their academic achievement. Seven multiple linear regression models were constructed using the R computing language to examine the association between academic achievement (considered in each of the 5 subjects: Language, Mathematics, Geography and History, English and Physical Education; the mean of the instrumental subjects—Language and Mathematics—and the mean of all the subjects) and the independent variables. The results indicated that executive functions, physical activity and gender contributed to academic performance, but academic year did not. This suggests that students with good executive functions, who perform physical activity and are female, would have better academic achievement. This information should be considered when designing interventions to improve student academic achievement.

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