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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1411127

A single session of coordinative motor training does not improve spatial ability performances in healthy children

Provisionally accepted
Christina Morawietz Christina Morawietz *Anna Wissmann Anna Wissmann Till Kuehne Till Kuehne Thomas Muehlbauer Thomas Muehlbauer
  • University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In recent years, studies have found small-to-medium positive effects of physical activity on academic achievement. Already acute bouts of exercise appear to improve certain cognitive functions. Spatial abilities are one aspect of cognition that is encountered frequently in daily life and that is closely related to success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-subjects. However, little is known about the effects of an acute exercise session on spatial abilities. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of a single session of coordinative motor training (CMT) on spatial ability performances in healthy children. Forty-nine children were assigned to either a single session of CMT (i.e., obstacle course with motor coordinative and spatial elements) (n=25, 12 females, mean age: 10.7 ± 0.6 years) or a resting control group (n=24, 12 females, mean age ± SD: 11.4 ± 0.5 years). Spatial abilities were evaluated in both groups using the Paper Folding Test (PFT), Mental Rotation Test (MRT), Water Level Task (WLT), Corsi Block Test (CBT), and Numbered Cones Run (NCR). A statistical main effect for Test was observed for the majority of outcomes (i.e., all but the MRT). Test × Group interactions did not reach the level of significance. The results indicate that a single session of CMT does not improve spatial ability performances of healthy children. Future research should evaluate whether repeated longerterm interventions might be more suitable to generate significant improvements in spatial abilities.

    Keywords: Treatment, acute effects, Visual-spatial abilities, Youth, movement coordination

    Received: 02 Apr 2024; Accepted: 27 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Morawietz, Wissmann, Kuehne and Muehlbauer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Christina Morawietz, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.