Mindfulness training improves EFs most in 7–9 year-olds with initially poorer EFs, and yoga improves EFs where physical training alone does not¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2011 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? After mindfulness training, 7–9 year-olds with initially poorer EFs improved overall and in shifting and monitoring, bringing scores up to average, with improvements reported by both teachers and parents. → Diamond Adele 2011 q2 i? Girls assigned to yoga improved EFs, most evidently when EF demands were greatest, while physical training without mindfulness produced no EF improvement. → Diamond Adele 2011 (2)

Evidence¶

Diamond Adele 2011¶

Diamond Adele, Lee Kathleen. (2011). Interventions shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4–12 Years Old. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1204529

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports a mindfulness training study with sessions of sitting meditation, sensory-awareness activities, and body scan, with demands increasing over time; improvements generalized across contexts.

"After mindfulness training, greater EF improvements were found in 7–9 year-olds with initially-poorer EFs than those with initially-better EFs, compared with controls (who silently read) (30)."

Diamond Adele 2011 (2)¶

Diamond Adele, Lee Kathleen. (2011). Interventions shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4–12 Years Old. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1204529

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports girls aged 10 and 13 randomly assigned to yoga or physical training; only yoga, which included mindfulness components, improved EFs.

"Yoga training (physical training, relaxation, and sensory awareness) improved EFs, with improvements most evident when EF demands were greatest. Physical training (physical activity without mindfulness) produced no EF improvement."

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
• Sustained aerobic exercise improves children's EFs, with dose-response benefits for the most EF-demanding task and math in the high-dose group only — 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
• Curriculum add-ons PATHS and CSRP improve children's EFs and related outcomes in regular classrooms, with CSRP's academic gains mediated largely via EF improvement — related
• Universal self-regulation interventions improve self-regulation in children and adolescents, with a pooled effect size of d = 0.42 (95% CI, 0.32-0.53) on task performance scores. — a broader claim this one bears on
• Children with the weakest executive functions benefit the most from EF interventions, so early training may reduce social disparities in EFs — a broader claim this one bears on
• School meditation studies show significant improvements on several cognitive functioning measures, though effects vary by measure and study — related
• Mindfulness interventions show comparatively robust efficacy for preschool SR/EF, especially for outcomes requiring integrated mobilisation of EFs and SR — related
• Drill effect is greatest on the poorest portion of the class and decreases class variability — related