College of Physical Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China.
BMC Psychol. 2022 Oct 19;10(1):234. doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-00944-z.
Physical exercises can improve individuals' physical health and cognition, but the internal influence path is unclear. This study aims to examine the influence of pom cheerleading training on physical fitness and executive function of preschool children and explore the relationship between sports training, physical fitness, and executive function. We selected seventy-one preschool children and divided them into the experimental group (n = 36) and the control group (n = 35). The experimental group kept a 12-week pom cheerleading training, and the exercises of the control group remained normal. Children's physical fitness and executive function were tested, in one week before and after the experiment, respectively. Results of repeated measurements analysis of variance and structural equation model test showed: (1) after 12-week pom cheerleading training, in terms of physical fitness, the experimental group has a significant improvement over the control group on agility and speed; in terms of executive function, the inhibitory control and working memory of the experimental group were significantly enhanced over the control group. (2) Speed quality plays a partial mediating role between pom cheerleading training and inhibitory control; agility plays a major mediating role between pom cheerleading training and working memory. It is concluded that physical exercise can directly improve preschool children's executive function, and indirectly enhance executive function mediated by physical fitness. Furthermore, structured and systematic physical education should be adopted for preschool children to cultivate their interest in sports and enhance their cognition.
体育锻炼可以提高个体的身体健康和认知能力，但内部影响途径尚不清楚。本研究旨在考察啦啦队彩带操训练对学龄前儿童身体素质和执行功能的影响，探讨运动训练、身体素质和执行功能之间的关系。我们选取了 71 名学龄前儿童，将其分为实验组（n=36）和对照组（n=35）。实验组进行了 12 周的啦啦队彩带操训练，对照组保持正常的运动。分别在实验前一周和实验后一周测试儿童的身体素质和执行功能。重复测量方差分析和结构方程模型测试的结果表明：（1）经过 12 周的啦啦队彩带操训练，在身体素质方面，实验组在敏捷性和速度方面明显优于对照组；在执行功能方面，实验组的抑制控制和工作记忆明显优于对照组。（2）速度素质在啦啦队彩带操训练与抑制控制之间起着部分中介作用；敏捷性在啦啦队彩带操训练与工作记忆之间起着主要的中介作用。因此，体育锻炼可以直接提高学龄前儿童的执行功能，并通过身体素质间接增强执行功能。此外，应采用有组织、有系统的体育教育，培养学龄前儿童对体育运动的兴趣，增强他们的认知能力。
