Acute effect of exercise with or without the integration of cooperative activities on inhibitory control in preadolescent school children

Abstract

Introduction Inhibitory control describes the ability to resist distractions and to suppress dominant responses to achieve a specific goal (Miyake & Friedman, 2012). Higher inhibitory control is associated with an increased on-task behaviour in the classroom (Ludyga et al., 2022). Meta-analytical findings suggest that single exercise sessions can elicit transient enhancements in this aspect of executive function (Oberste et al., 2019). Experiencing supportive social interactions and cooperation also appear to positively influence inhibitory control (Koomen et al., 2020; Pilcher & Bryant, 2016). As exercise can be adapted to demand and stimulate cooperation, it has much potential to positively influence inhibitory control. We examined the effect of acute exercise with or without the integration of cooperative activities on inhibitory control in preadolescent school children.

Methods We examined a subsample of the NEXOS² RCT. 100 children (11 ± 0.7 years) were allocated (stratum: school class) to a group performing exercise demanding cooperation (EX+CO, n = 29), a group performing exercise without cooperation (EX, n = 35), and a control group watching a video (CON, n = 36). The interventions were conducted in the school setting and lasted 20 minutes. Prior to and after these conditions, a modified computer-based Flanker task was administered to assess inhibitory control and associated congruency-sequence effects.

Results The repeated measures MANOVA revealed a significant interaction between time, group and trial type (congruent / incongruent) on performance and trial-sequence effects on the Flanker task. Decomposition of the interaction showed that in contrast to CON and EX, EX+CO showed a greater increase of accuracy on incongruent relative to congruent trials. This was accompanied by a greater decrease of reaction time on incongruent trials that followed the same compared to a different trial type.

Discussion/Conclusion A single exercise session with cooperative activities increases accuracy on trials demanding inhibitory control and promote efficiency by increased repetition response priming.

References

Koomen, R., Grueneisen, S., & Herrmann, E. (2020). Children delay gratification for cooperative ends. Psychological Science, 31(2), 139–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619894205

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., Brand, S., Möhring, W., & Pühse, U. (2022). Do different cognitive domains mediate the association between moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity and adolescents’ off‐task behaviour in the classroom? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(1), e12445. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12445

Miyake, A., & Friedman, N. P. (2012). The nature and organization of individual differences in executive functions: Four general conclusions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411429458

Oberste, M., Javelle, F., Sharma, S., Joisten, N., Walzik, D., Bloch, W., & Zimmer, P. (2019). Effects and moderators of acute aerobic exercise on subsequent interference control: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2616. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02616

Pilcher, J. J., & Bryant, S. A. (2016). Implications of social support as a self-control resource. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00228