Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Early Start and School of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
Dev Sci. 2019 Sep;22(5):e12820. doi: 10.1111/desc.12820. Epub 2019 Mar 10.
Executive function is foundational for cognitive development. Previous research has shown both gross motor skills and physical activity to be related to executive function. However, evidence for these relationships in the preschool years, as well as in low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between components of executive function (inhibition, shifting and working memory) and gross motor skills (locomotor skills and object control skills) in a sample of preschool children from urban and rural low-income settings in South Africa. Results revealed that inhibition and working memory, but not shifting, were associated with gross motor skills. More specifically: inhibition was associated with both locomotor [β = 0.20, p = 0.047] and object control skills [β = 0.24, p = 0.024], whereas working memory was only associated with locomotor skills [β = 0.21, p = 0.039]. Physical activity was not associated with inhibition and shifting but was negatively associated with working memory. These results elaborate a growing evidence base linking executive function and gross motor skills in the early years, and it is the first to look at specific associations of locomotor and object control skills with executive function in the South African context (a low- and middle-income country).
执行功能是认知发展的基础。先前的研究表明，大运动技能和身体活动都与执行功能有关。然而，在学龄前以及在低收入和中等收入国家，这些关系的证据还很缺乏。因此，本研究旨在调查南非城市和农村低收入环境中一组学龄前儿童的执行功能（抑制、转换和工作记忆）成分与大运动技能（移动技能和物体控制技能）之间的关系。结果表明，抑制和工作记忆，但不是转换，与大运动技能有关。具体来说：抑制与移动技能[β=0.20，p=0.047]和物体控制技能[β=0.24，p=0.024]都有关，而工作记忆仅与移动技能[β=0.21，p=0.039]有关。身体活动与抑制和转换无关，但与工作记忆呈负相关。这些结果进一步证明了在早期阶段执行功能和大运动技能之间的联系越来越紧密，而且这是首次在南非背景下（一个低收入和中等收入国家）研究移动技能和物体控制技能与执行功能的具体关联。
