Effects of Physical Activity on Children’s Executive Function: Contributions of Experimental Research on Aerobic Exercise

By J. Best. Developmental Review, 2010

1,058 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Executive function refers to the cognitive processes necessary for goal-directed cognition and behavior, which develop across childhood and adolescence. Recent experimental research indicates that both acute and chronic aerobic exercise promote children’s executive function. Furthermore, there is tentative evidence that not all forms of aerobic exercise benefit executive function equally: Cognitively-engaging exercise appears to have a stronger effect than non-engaging exercise on children’s executive function. This review discusses this evidence as well as the mechanisms that may underlie the association between exercise and executive function. Research from a variety of disciplines is covered, including developmental psychology, kinesiology, cognitive neuroscience, and biopsychology. Finally, these experimental findings are placed within the larger context of known links between action and cognition in infancy and early childhood, and the clinical and practical implications of this research are discussed.

Subfields: Developmental and Educational Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/39a77ff362805b9f5785f4f43ead8fb4850f99c5

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In Developmental and Educational Psychology

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In Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Citations in the corpus

Self-Regulation and School Success (2013, background): “Aerobic exercise has been shown to improve executive function and performance on standardized achievement tests in preadolescent children (Best, 2010 ; Hillman et al., 2009 ). h e robust i ndings linking physical activity to attention and other aspects of self-control suggest that eliminating gym…”
Intervention integrating physical activity with math: Math performance, perceived competence, and need satisfaction† (2017, background): “enhanced attention and embodied learning) mechanisms (Best, 2010; Kontra, Goldin-Meadow, & Beilock, 2012).”
Physical Activity, Fitness, Cognitive Function, and Academic Achievement in Children: A Systematic Review. (2016, background): “Laboratory-based tests have revealed a stage-like emergence of the components of EF (10, 55) and neuroscientists have linked behavioral test performance to brain development (18).”
Bilingualism and cognition (2014, background): “If the intervention is broad, however, such as with developing skill in exercise that requires thought, then transfer to executive function tasks appears to be more general (Best, 2010, 2012).”
A short physical activity break from cognitive tasks increases selective attention in primary school children aged 10–11 (2014, background): “Also in children, acute and chronic exercise has shown positive effects on cognition (6, 7).”
Embodied learning in the classroom: Effects on primary school children’s attention and foreign language vocabulary learning (2019, background): “The basic assumption of the cognitive stimulation hypothesis is that non-automated physical activities and coordinative demands activate the same brain regions that are used to control higher-order cognitive processes (Best, 2010; Pesce, 2012; Tomporowski, McCullick, Pendleton, & Pesce, 2015).”
Variability of practice as an interface between motor and cognitive development (2016, background): “This is consistent with propositions by Best (2010) and Pesce (2012) that children should learn coordinating movements which lack automaticity and engage in movement actions in variable environments which require cognitive engagement and control to maximally benefit development.”
Executive Functions (2012, positive): “…& Cheng 2005), sad (Hirt et al. 2008, von Hecker & Meiser 2005), lonely (Baumeister et al. 2002, Cacioppo & Patrick 2008, Campbell et al. 2006, Tun et al. 2012), sleep deprived (Barnes et al. 2012, Huang et al. 2007), or not physically fit (Best 2010, Chaddock et al. 2011, Hillman et al. 2008).”
Effects of Integrated Physical Exercises and Gestures on Preschool Children’s Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning (2015, background): “In a review, Best (2010) concludes that aerobic exercise can have direct and beneficial effects on executive function, which is crucial for enhancing cognitive development and learning in early childhood.”
Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews (2011, background): “Best JR. Effects of physical activity on children’s executive function: contributions of experimental research on aerobic exercise.”