Aerobic Fitness and Cognitive Control in Preadolescent Children

Abstract

Aerobic Fitness and Response Variability in Preadolescent Children Performing a Cognitive Control Task What is the purpose of the study? Wu et al. (2011) compiled an interesting article that aimed at investigating the relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive variability in preadolescent children. How was the study conducted? Who were the subjects? What did the subject do? Was qualitative or quantitative data collected? The study considered forty-eight preadolescent children (25 males, 23 females, with a mean age of 10.1 years) to understand the relationship between their aerobic fitness and cognitive variability. The sample group was from East-Central Illinois that the researchers recruited via flyers. The researchers grouped these preadolescent samples into higher and lower-fit groups in accordance to their performance on a test of aerobic capacity. The samples cardio-respiratory fitness became defined based on the volume of oxygen consumed during maximum capacity exercise. The participant’s parents confirmed that none of the children received special education services related to mental or physical disabilities thus offered informed consent for their involvement in the study. The study involved collection of quantitative data based on several factors that related to either physical activity participation or cognitive function. The study administered Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test to obtain IQ scores using measures of crystallized and fluid thinking. The preadolescent guardians also completed a health history questionnaire, the ADHD Rating Scale IV and reported the sample had no adverse health conditions, neurologic disorder, attentional disorders and physical disabilities. Further quantitative data was collected using computerized indirect calorimetry system to measure Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). Averages for oxygen uptake and respiratory exchange ration were assessed every 20-s. Modified Balke protocol was employed to measure participants’ cardio-respiratory fitness. Following a warm-up period, a motor-driven treadmill was set to a constant speed during the test. A polar heart rate monitor was used to measure heart rate and rating of perceived exertion measured every two minutes using children’s OMNI scale. The main cognitive task demanded participants to complete the stimulus-response compatible condition and a stimulus-response incompatible condition. In the incompatible flanker condition, participants were presented with similar congruous and incongruous flanker arrays but instructed to respond as quickly and accurately as possible in a direction opposite of the centrally presented target arrow. Laboratory procedure took two days and in day one participants and their guardians completed the informed assent and informed consent. They completed questionnaires and their legal guardians completed physical activity readiness questionnaires (PAR-Q) which is relevant to enhance safety of participant prior to exercise. Participants were fitted with a polar HR monitor prior to the cardio-respiratory fitness assessment with their height and weight measured using stadiometer and a Tanita BWB-600 digital scale. After a brief warm-up period, participants exercised an increasing workload until volitional exhaustion. After completing cardio-respiratory fitness assessment, they were given a cool down period and remained in the lab until their HR returned within 10bpm. Only participants with VO2max scores falling above 70th percentile or below 30th percentile qualified to participate in the second day of testing. On day two, participants seated in a sound attenuated testing chamber and instructed prior to each task condition. Forty practice trials were provided and participants performance checked before initiating test. What was found in the study? The study found out that preadolescent children, regardless of fitness exhibited longer reaction time, increased response variability and decreased response accuracy to incongruent as compared to congruent trials. The study also found out that higher-fit children were less variable in their response time and more accurate in their responses across conditions of the flanker task with no group differences observed for response speed. Based on such...