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¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr2·q1
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q1 i? Adolescent juvenile delinquents trained in traditional tae kwon do showed less aggression and anxiety and improved social ability and self-esteem, whereas those trained in modern martial arts showed more delinquency and aggressiveness and decreased self-esteem and social ability. → Diamond Adele 2012
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
q1 · i? · review · r2
Narrative review reporting Trulson's (1986) study of adolescent juvenile delinquents assigned to traditional tae kwon do (emphasizing character development and self-control) versus modern martial arts (competitive sport, physical aspect only); no effect sizes are printed.
"Compared with the adolescents who were trained in modern martial arts, those who were trained in traditional tae kwon do showed less aggression and anxiety and improved social ability and self-esteem."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- 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 — related
- 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 — related
- Whether EF gains are seen depends on the amount of time children spend doggedly practicing and pushing themselves to improve — related
- Strong guidance and repetition may be needed to discover what cannot be told (Trninic's martial arts case) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
how-activity-done-matters-ef |
title |
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 |
description |
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 |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2012 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — diamond-adele-2012 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.