Comparison of children’s inhibitory control, attention and working memory in three different throwing gamesEEG exploratory study
- Alfonso García-Monge
- Henar Rodríguez-Navarro
- Daniel Bores-García
- Gustavo González-Calvo
ISSN: 1579-1726, 1988-2041
Year of publication: 2022
Issue: 45
Pages: 502-513
Type: Article
More publications in: Retos: nuevas tendencias en educación física, deporte y recreación
Abstract
in this study we explore inhibitory control, attention and working memory differences, through EEG biomarkers, in three types of throwing games (simple throwing, throwing at a goal, and simultaneous throwing with another player). Encephalographic recordings were collected from 8 children aged 7-8 years during the performance of three throwing games. Theta (4-7Hz), alpha (7-13Hz) and low beta (13-20Hz) frequency spectra of different biomarkers associated with inhibitory control, attention and working memory were compared. Results of this exploratory study show that small modifications in playing conditions lead to significant demands on inhibitory control, attention and working memory. Action against an opponent attempting to disrupt the throw would require greater inhibitory control, as well as better focus of attention and greater use of working memory. On the other hand, simultaneous action against an opponent who has the same target might involve greater arousal and approach towards the target. The results show significant differences between the different games, with greater demands of inhibitory control in the games of throwing to goal (opposition with different roles) over the games without opposition or with opposition but with the same role (simultaneous throwing). These results show a new area of study and indicate the interest of analysing the characteristics of each game.
Bibliographic References
- Aguilar, M.P., Navarro-Adelantado, V. & Jonsson, G.K. (2018). Detection of Ludic Patterns in Two Triadic Motor Games and Differences in Decision Complexity, Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2259. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02259
- Alesi, M., Bianco, A. & Padulo, J. (2014). Motor and cognitive development: the role of karate. Muscles, Ligaments and Tendoms Journal, 4(2), 114-120.
- Alesi, M., Bianco, A., Luppina, G., Palma, A. & Pepi, A. (2016). Improving Children's Coordinative Skills and Executive Functions: The Effects of a Football Exercise Program. Perceptual Motor Skills, 122(1), 27-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512515627527
- Alesi, M., Giordano, G., Giaccone, M., Basile, M., Costa, S. & Bianco, A. (2020). Effects of the Enriched Sports Activities-Program on Executive Functions in Italian Children. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 5(2), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk5020026
- Ardila, A. & Ostrosky-Solís, F. (2008). Desarrollo Histórico de las Funciones Ejecutivas. Revista de Neuropsicología, Neuropsiquiatría y Neurociencia, 8(1), 1-21.
- Aron, AR., Robbins, T.W., Poldrack, R.A. (2004). Inhibition and the right inferior frontal cortex. Trends in cognitive sciences, 8(4), 170–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.02.010
- Bailey, C.E. (2007). Cognitive accuracy and intelligent executive function in the brain and in business. Annals of New York Academy of Sciences, 1118, 122-141. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1412.011
- Baumeister, J., Reinecke, K., Liesen, H. & Weiss, M. (2008). Cortical activity of skilled performance in a complex sports related motor task. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 104, 625–631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0811-x
- Beltrán, D., Morera, Y., García-Marco, E., de Vega, M. (2019). Brain Inhibitory Mechanisms Are Involved in the Processing of Sentential Negation, Regardless of Its Content. Evidence From EEG Theta and Beta Rhythms. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(10), 1782. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01782
- Blair, C. & Razza, R.P. (2007). Relating effortful control, executive function, and false belief understanding to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Child Development, 78(2), 647-663. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01019.x
- Borella, E. Carretti, B. & Pelegrina, S. (2010). The specific role of inhibition in reading comprehension in good and poor comprehenders. Journal of Learning and Disabilities, 43(6), 541-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219410371676
- Brooker, R.J., Bates, J.E., Buss, K.A., Canen, M.J., Dennis-Tiwary, T.A., Gatzke-Kopp, L.M., Hoyniak, C.P., Klein, D.N., Kujawa, A. & Lahat, A. (2020). Conducting Event-Related Potential (ERP) Research with Young Children: A Review of Components, Special Considerations, and Recommendations for Research on Cognition and Emotion. Journal of Psychophysiology 34, 137–158. https://doi.org/org/10.1027/0269-8803/a000243
- Bruner, J.S., Jolly, A. & Sylva, K. (2017). Play: its role in development and evolution. Penguin, Harmondsworth.
- Bryant, L.M., Duncan, R.J. & Schmitt, S.A. (2020). The Cognitive Benefits of Participating in Structured Sports for Preschoolers. Early Education and Development, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1799619
- Cheron, G., Petit, G. & Cheron, J. (2016). Brain Oscillations in Sport: Toward EEG Biomarkers of Performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 246. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00246
- Christie, S., di Fronso, S., Bertollo, M. & Werthner, P. (2017). Individual Alpha Peak Frequency in Ice Hockey Shooting Performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 762. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00762
- Chuang, L.Y., Huang, C.J. & Hung, T.M. (2013). The differences in frontal midline theta power between successful and unsuccessful basketball free throws of elite basketball players. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 90(3), 321-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.10.002
- Davis, C.L., Tomporowski, P.D., McDowell, J.E., Austin, B.P., Miller, P.H., Yanasak, N.E., Allison, J.D. & Naglieri, J.A. (2011). Exercise improves executive function and achievement and alters brain activation in overweight children: a randomized, controlled trial. Health Psychology, 30(1), 91-98. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021766
- Deeny, S.P., Hillman, C.H., Janelle, C.M. & Hatfield, B.D. (2003). Cortico-cortical communication and superior performance in skilled marksmen: An EEG coherence analysis. Journal of Sport Exercise and Psychology, 25, 188–204. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.25.2.188.
- Deiber, M.P., Missonnier, P., Bertrand, O., Gold, G., Fazio-Costa, L., Ibañez, V. & Giannakopoulos, P. (2007). Distinction between perceptual and attentional processing in working memory tasks: a study of phase-locked and induced oscillatory brain dynamics. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19(1), 158–172. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn.2007.19.1.158
- Denson, T.F., Pedersen, W.C., Friese, M., Hahm, A. & Roberts, L. (2011). Understanding impulsive aggression: Angry rumination and reduced self-control capacity are mechanisms underlying the provocation-aggression relationship. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(6), 850-862. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211401420
- Diamond, A. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children's Executive Functions. Current Directions in Psychologycal Sciences, 21(5), 335-341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412453722
- Diamond, A. (2013). Executive Functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 135-168.
- Elkonin, D.B. (1985). La Psicología del Juego. Madrid: Visor.
- Fishbein, D.H., Michael, L., Guthrie, C., Carr, C. & Raymer, J. (2019). Associations Between Environmental Conditions and Executive Cognitive Functioning and Behavior During Late Childhood: A Pilot Study. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1263. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01263
- Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C. (2017). Practice Makes Efficient: Cortical Alpha Oscillations Are Associated With Improved Golf Putting Performance. Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology, 6(1), 89-102. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000077
- Gao, R., Peterson, E.J. & Voytek, B. (2017). Inferring synaptic excitation/inhibition balance from field potentials. Neuroimage, 158, 70-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.06.078
- Gärtner, M., Rohde-Liebenau, L., Grimm, S. & Bajbouj, M. (2014). Working memory-related frontal theta activity is decreased under acute stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 43, 105–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.009
- Goldberg, E. (2001). The executive brain. Oxford University Press, New York.
- Gordon, R., Ciorciari, J. & van Laer, T. (2018). Using EEG to examine the role of attention, working memory, emotion, and imagination in narrative transportation. European Journal of Marketing, 52(1/2), 92-117. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2016-0881
- Griesmayr, B., Gruber, W.R., Klimesch, W. & Sauseng, P. (2010). Human frontal midline theta and its synchronization to gamma during a verbal delayed match to sample task. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 93(2), 208–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2009.09.013
- Harmon-Jones, E. & Gable, P.A. (2018). On the role of asymmetric frontal cortical activity in approach and withdrawal motivation: An updated review of the evidence. Psychophysiology, 55(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12879
- Healey, D.M. & Halperin, J.M. (2015). Enhancing Neurobehavioral Gains with the Aid of Games and Exercise (ENGAGE): Initial open trial of a novel early intervention fostering the development of preschoolers' self-regulation. Child neuropsychology, 21(4), 465–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2014.906567
- Hummel, F., Andres, F., Altenmüller, E., Dichgans, J. & Gerloff, C. (2002). Inhibitory control of acquired motor programmes in the human brain. Brain: Journal of Neurology, 125(2), 404–420. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awf030
- Huster, R.J., Enriquez-Geppert, S., Lavallee, C.F., Falkenstein, M. & Herrmann, C.S. (2013). Electroencephalography of response inhibition tasks: functional networks and cognitive contributions. International Journal Psychophysiology, 87(3), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.08.001
- Ishihara, T., Sugasawa, S., Matsuda, Y., Mizuno, M. (2017). The beneficial effects of game-based exercise using age-appropriate tennis lessons on the executive functions of 6-12-year-old children. Neuroscience Letters, 642, 97-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2017.01.057
- Itthipuripat, S., Wessel, J.R. & Aron, A.R. (2013). Frontal theta is a signature of successful working memory manipulation. Experimental Brain Research, 224(2), 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-012-3305-3
- Janelle, C.M., Hatfield, B.D. (2008). Visual attention and brain processes that underlie expert performance: Implications for sport and military psychology, Military Psychology, 20, 39-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995600701804798.
- Jensen, O. & Tesche, C.D. (2002). Frontal theta activity in humans increases with memory load in a working memory task. The European journal of neuroscience, 15(8), 1395–1399. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.01975.x
- Jha, A., Nachev, P., Barnes, G., Husain, M., Brown, P. & Litvak, V. (2015). The Frontal Control of Stopping. Cerebral Cortex, 25(11), 4392-4406. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhv027
- Jiao, X., Traverso, L., Gai, X. (2020). Examining the Effectiveness of Group Games in Enhancing Inhibitory Control in Preschoolers. Early Education Development, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1802972
- Jirayucharoensak, S., Israsena, P., Pan-Ngum, S., Hemrungrojn, S. & Maes, M. (2019). A game-based neurofeedback training system to enhance cognitive performance in healthy elderly subjects and in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Clinical Interventions in aging, 14, 347–360. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S189047
- Julie, O., Arnaud, D. & Scott, N. (2005). Frontal midline EEG dynamics during working memory, NeuroImage, 27, 341–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.04.014
- Lagardera, F., Lavega, P. (2004). La ciencia de la acción motriz. Edicions de la Universitat de Lleida, Lleida.
- Lavega, P., Alonso, J.I., Etxebeste, J., Lagardera, F. & March, J. (2014). Relationship between traditional games and the intensity of emotions experienced by participants, Research Quarterly in Exercise and Sport, 85(4), 457-467. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/02701367.2014.961048
- Lehto, J.E., Juujärvi, P., Kooistra, L. & Pulkkinen, L. (2003). Dimensions of executive functioning: Evidence from children. British Journal of Development in Psychology, 21(1), 59–80. https://doi.org/10.1348/026151003321164627
- Lezak, M. (1982). The problem of Assesing Executive Functions. International Journal of Psychology, 17, 281-297.
- Lulé, D., Hörner, K., Vazquez, C., Aho-Özhan, H., Keller, J., Gorges, M., Uttner, I. & Ludolph, A.C. (2018). Screening for Cognitive Function in Complete Immobility Using Brain-Machine Interfaces: A Proof of Principle Study. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 517. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00517
- Luria, A.R. (1973). The working brain. Penguin books, London.
- Moffitt, T.E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R.J., Harrington, H., R., Poulton, R., Roberts, B.W., Ross, S., Sears, M.R., Thomson, W.M. & Caspi, A. A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 108(7), 2693-2698. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1010076108
- Mondéjar, T., Hervás, R., Fontecha, J., Gutierrez, C., Johnson, E., González, I. & Bravo, J. (2015). Can Videogames Improve Executive Functioning? A Research Based on Computational Neurosciences. In: Bravo J., Hervás R., Villarreal V. (Eds) Ambient Intelligence for Health. AmIHEALTH 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 9456. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26508-7_20
- Morrison, F.J., Ponitz, C.C. & McClelland, M.M. (2010). Self-regulation and academic achievement in the transition to school, in S.D. Calkins, M.A. Bell (Eds.), Human brain development. Child development at the intersection of emotion and cognition, American Psychological Association, pp. 203-224. https://doi.org/10.1037/12059-011
- Mosher, C.P., Mamelak, A.N., Malekmohammadi, M., Pouratian, N. & Rutishauser, U. (2021). Distinct roles of dorsal and ventral subthalamic neurons in action selection and cancellation. Neuron, S0896-6273(20), 31029-31041.
- O'Reilly, R.C. & Frank, M.J. (2006). Making working memory work: a computational model of learning in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. Neural Computation, 18(2), 283–328. https://doi.org/10.1162/089976606775093909
- Park, J.L., Fairweather, M.M. & Donaldson, D.I. (2015). Making the case for mobile cognition: EEG and sports performance. Neuroscience Biobehaviour Review, 52, 117-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.014.
- Parlebas, P. (1988). Elementos de Sociología del Deporte. Unisport, Málaga.
- Pic, M., Lavega-Burgués, P. & March-Llanes, J. (2019). Motor Behaviour through Traditional Games. Educational Studies, 45(6), 742-755. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2018.1516630
- Reinecke, K., Cordes, M., Lerch, C., Koutsandréou, F., Schubert, M. Weiss, M. & Baumeister, J. (2011). From lab to field conditions: a pilot study on EEG methodology in applied sports sciences. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 36(4), 265-271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-011-9166-x
- Rosas, R., Espinoza, V., Porflitt, F. & Ceric, F. (2019). Executive Functions Can Be Improved in Preschoolers Through Systematic Playing in Educational Settings: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02024
- Sauseng, P., Gerloff, C. & Hummel, F.C. (2013). Two brakes are better than one: The neural bases of inhibitory control of motor memory traces. NeuroImage, 65, 52-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.09.048
- Sauseng, P., Klimesch, W., Schabus, M. & Doppelmayr, M. (2005). Fronto-parietal EEG coherence in theta and upper alpha reflect central executive functions of working memory. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 57(2), 97–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2005.03.018
- Savina, E. (2014). Does play promote self-regulation in children? Early Child Developmental Care, 184(11), 1692-1705. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2013.875541
- Shaheen, S. (2014). How child's play impacts executive function--related behaviors. Applied Neuropsychology in Children, 3(3), 182-187. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2013.839612
- Spitzer, B. & Haegens, S. (2014). Beyond the Status Quo: A Role for Beta Oscillations in Endogenous Content (Re)Activation. eNeuro, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0170-17.2017
- Vecchiato, G., Astolfi, L., De Vico Fallani, F., Toppi, J., Aloise, F., Bez, F., Wei, D., Kong, W., Dai, J., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D. & Babiloni, F. (2011). On the use of EEG or MEG brain imaging tools in neuromarketing research. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 643489. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/643489
- Veraksa, A., Gavrilova, M., Bukhalenkova, D. & Yakupova, V. (2020). The Relationship between Play Repertoire and Inhibitory Control in Preschool Children. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 9(2), 443-450. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2020.2.443
- Vygotsky, L.S. (2016). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Int. Res. Earl. Child. Edu. 7(2), 3-25. https://doi.org/10.4225/03/584e715f7e831
- Wagner, J., Wessel, J.R., Ghahremani, A. & Aron, A.R. Establishing a Right Frontal Beta Signature for Stopping Action in Scalp EEG: Implications for Testing Inhibitory Control in Other Task Contexts. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 30(1), 107-118. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01183
- Wang, C.H., Moreau, D. & Kao, S.C. (2019). From the Lab to the Field: Potential Applications of Dry EEG Systems to Understand the Brain-Behavior Relationship in Sports. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00893
- Wang, J.G., Cai, K.L., Liu, Z.M., Herold, F., Zou, L., Zhu, L.N., Xiong, X. & Chen, A.G. (2020). Effects of Mini-Basketball Training Program on Executive Functions and Core Symptoms among Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Brain Sciences, 10(5), 263. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10050263
- Welsh, M.C., Friedman, S.L. & Spieker, S.J. (2003). Executive Functions in Developing Children: Current Conceptualizations and Questions for the Future, in K. McCartney, D. Phillips (Eds.), Blackwell handbooks of developmental psychology. Blackwell handbook of early childhood development. Blackwell Publishing, pp. 167–187. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470757703.ch9
- Wickstrom, R.L. (1990). Patrones motores básicos. Alianza, Madrid.
- Wöstmann, M., Alavash, M. & Obleser, J. (2019). Alpha Oscillations in the Human Brain Implement Distractor Suppression Independent of Target Selection. Journal of Neuroscience, 39(49), 9797-9805. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1954-19.2019
- Zhao, X., Wang, L., Ge, C., Liu, X., Chen, M. & Zhang, C. (2020). Effect of Process-Based Multi-Task Cognitive Training Program on Executive Function in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Study Rationale and Protocol Design for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 655. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00655