The role of physical activity in the development of executive functions in preschool children
DOI: 10.33910/herzenpsyconf-2020-3-99
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Summary
This study investigates the relationship between physical activity levels and the development of executive functions (EFs) in preschool children, motivated by concerns that technological progress and pandemic-related isolation have increased sedentary behaviors among youth. The research aims to determine how physical fitness correlates with specific regulatory functions, including working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, in children aged 5–6 years. The study involved a sample of 316 preschoolers (175 boys and 141 girls) from educational institutions in Kazan, Russia. Physical fitness was assessed through group tests measuring jump length, ball-throwing skills, flexibility, and endurance in shuttle runs. Executive functions were evaluated individually using subtests from the NEPSY-II neuropsychological diagnostic complex, specifically the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) for cognitive flexibility, the Inhibition subtest for inhibitory control, and tasks for auditory-verbal and visual working memory. Participants were categorized into groups with high or low levels of physical skill development based on their performance metrics. Results indicated that working memory was the most developed executive function in the sample, while cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control were less mature. Physically, the majority of children demonstrated low levels of dexterity and speed-strength qualities. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between children with high versus low physical skill levels. Children with low physical development exhibited significantly less formed inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility compared to those with high physical development (p≤0.001). Additionally, children with higher flexibility and ball-throwing scores showed better physical regulation of behavior (p≤0.05). Gender differences were minimal for most EFs, though girls performed better in visual working memory tasks, and boys showed slightly better cognitive flexibility in sorting tasks. The findings confirm a strong positive association between physical fitness and the development of self-regulation and executive functions in preschoolers. The authors conclude that adequate physical activity is crucial for cognitive development and recommend differentiated physical exercises targeting specific regulatory skills, such as rule-switching for cognitive flexibility. These results provide a basis for educational materials aimed at parents and teachers to promote healthy, active lifestyles and support the holistic development of young children.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| extract | success | pdftotext | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| enrich | success | openalex | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-26 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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