Physical activities combining exercise with character development or mindfulness improved children's EFs more than exercise alone: tae kwon do outperformed standard PE, and a yoga pilot improved planning¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · review r2–r3 · q1–q2
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Kindergarten-through-fifth-grade children randomly assigned by homeroom class to traditional tae kwon do improved more than students in standard physical education in working memory and on all dimensions of inhibitory control studied, with effects generalizing to multiple contexts and measures. → Diamond Adele 2012 q1 i? In a pilot study, 10- and 13-year-old girls randomly assigned to yoga improved more in planning and execution on the Tower of London than controls, especially under more difficult and complex task conditions. → Diamond Adele 2012 (2) q2 i? Of the extended-period exercise studies in young children, the earliest (Tuckman & Hinkle, 1986) found the strongest effects and the most recent (Kamijo et al., 2011) the weakest, and the review suggests exercise alone may be less effective than exercise plus character development or mindfulness. → Diamond Adele 2012 (3)

Evidence¶

Diamond Adele 2012¶

Diamond Adele. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children's Executive Functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412453722

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review reporting Lakes and Hoyt's (2004) random assignment of 5- to 11-year-olds by homeroom class to traditional tae kwon do or standard PE; effects "generalized to multiple contexts and were found on multiple measures." No effect sizes are printed.

"Students in the tae kwon do group improved more than students in the standard-physical-education group in working memory and on all dimensions of inhibitory control studied (e.g., cognitive inhibitory control, measured on a distractible-focused continuum; discipline, measured on a quitting-persevering continuum; and emotion regulation)."

Diamond Adele 2012 (2)¶

Diamond Adele. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children's Executive Functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412453722

q1 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review reporting Manjunath and Telles's (2001) pilot: 10- and 13-year-old girls randomly assigned to yoga or physical training, 75 minutes a day, 7 days a week for 1 month; yoga involved physical training, relaxation, and sensory awareness.

"Those who did yoga improved more in planning and execution on the Tower of London (a task that requires all three core EFs), especially when task conditions were more difficult and complex, than did controls."

Diamond Adele 2012 (3)¶

Diamond Adele. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children's Executive Functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412453722

q2 · i? · review · r3

Narrative review noting most aerobic-exercise studies involved adults or single exercise bouts; the three extended-period studies in young children did not find strong effects, with strength of effects decreasing from Tuckman & Hinkle (1986) to Kamijo et al. (2011).

"The three studies in which young children exercised over an extended period did not find strong effects. (The earliest study, by Tuckman & Hinkle, 1986, found the strongest effects; the most recent study, by Kamijo et al., 2011, found the weakest)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Physical Well-Being — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Traditional Tae-Kwon-Do training produces greater gains than standard physical education on all studied dimensions of EFs, with gains greatest for older children and boys — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Whether EF gains are produced depends on how an activity is done: traditional tae kwon do reduced aggression while modern competitive martial arts worsened outcomes in juvenile delinquents — related
• Mindfulness training improves EFs most in 7–9 year-olds with initially poorer EFs, and yoga improves EFs where physical training alone does not — related
• Open-skill exercises yield larger executive function benefits than closed-skill exercises for inhibitory control and working memory — a broader claim this one bears on
• Type of PA may moderate acute effects: coordinative exercises outperformed a normal PE lesson of the same intensity — related
• Sport-specific disciplines relate to distinct executive functions: tennis and football with inhibitory control and working memory, with a larger tennis association in males — related