Sport-specific disciplines relate to distinct executive functions: tennis and football with inhibitory control and working memory, with a larger tennis association in males¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Plan-structured sport activities such as tennis play are associated with the development of inhibitory control, and the association appears larger in males even though inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility develop more slowly in males. → Bidzan-Bluma Ilona 2018 q2 i? Playing football has a positive influence on executive functioning, including attention, and football training improved children's planning processes relative to sedentary controls. → Bidzan-Bluma Ilona 2018 (2)

Evidence¶

Bidzan-Bluma Ilona 2018¶

Bidzan-Bluma Ilona, Lipowska Małgorzata. (2018). Physical Activity and Cognitive Functioning of Children: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040800

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports cross-sectional findings on tennis play and executive function, noting the association "appears to be larger in males". No effect size is printed.

"The findings suggest, that plan-structured sport activities, for example tennis play, are associated with the development of inhibitory control. Although the development of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility is slower in males than in females, the association between tennis play and inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility appears to be larger in males [44]."

Bidzan-Bluma Ilona 2018 (2)¶

Bidzan-Bluma Ilona, Lipowska Małgorzata. (2018). Physical Activity and Cognitive Functioning of Children: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040800

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports an intervention in which children attending a Football Exercise Program for at least six months showed more developed planning processes than sedentary control peers. No effect size is printed.

"Planning processes in children who attended a Football Exercise Program for at least six months were more developed in comparison to a control group of sedentary peers [45]."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Aerobic exercise improves executive functioning, most notably inhibitory control, in typically developing children, though evidence is tentative and one week-long study found no main effect — 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
• Reported benefits of physical activity programs on executive functions depend on program duration and the executive domain analyzed — a broader claim this one bears on
• 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
• Experts' complex movements are flexibly controlled via mental basic action concepts stored in long-term memory, as shown with tennis serves — related