Poster #162 - Exploring the Influence of Different Dependent Measures on the Motor–EF Link in 5- to 6-Year-Olds

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Perceptual, Sensory, Motor

Integrative Statement

It is generally agreed that motor and cognitive development are fundamentally intertwined(Diamond, 2000). Despite the different lines of evidence indicating a link between specific aspects of motor control and executive functions (EF), former investigations produced inconsistent findings regarding the strength and nature of associations. Previous studies reported weak-to-strong correlations between several motor and EF subtests, but when controlling for age, only a few correlations remained significant (Livesey, Keen, Rouse, & White, 2006; Roebers & Kauer, 2009). Indeed, age has previously been identified in the literature as being associated with either motor performance, EF, or both (Missiuna & Campbell, 2014; Rigoli et al., 2012). This can partly be explained by the dynamic developmental progression of motor coordination and EF within the age range of four to eight years (Ahnert, Bös, & Schneider, 2003).
One reason for the inconsistent evidence concerning the motor-EF link may lie in the different EF outcome measures used. While some studies used time-based measures for EF and motor performance, other studies have addressed qualitative aspects of EF and motor performance. It seems plausible to assume that different dependent measures will yield different results. By directly comparing speed-based with qualitative outcomes of EF and motor performance within participants within one study, new insights about the nature of the EF-motor link will be provided.
The present study pursued two aims. Firstly, to explore how age changes the motor-EF link. Secondly, to investigate how different dependent measures of EF tasks affect the magnitude of the relationship between EF and fine and gross motor tasks respectively. Reviewing the literature, no agreement can be found on which dependent measure of EF (accuracy, reaction time, inverse efficiency score, combined measures etc.) researchers should focus on. Therefore, comparing the different measures with regard to their age sensitivity and their contribution to the motor-EF link will lead to a better understanding of the shared processes.
In a within-subject design, n=124 typically developing kindergarten children were tested (mean age = 71 months; range = 60-82 months). They solved three EF tasks and 12 motor tasks, stemming from either the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC-2; Henderson, Sudgen, & Barnett, 2007) or the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK; Kiphard & Schilling, 1974).
Results replicated the motor-EF link, with correlations between EF tasks and fine motor tasks being significantly higher compared to correlations between EF tasks and gross motor tasks. On the one hand, analyses revealed that time-based measures of EF are strongly associated with fine and gross motor tasks but at the same time, these were found to be highly age-sensitive. On the other hand, accuracy based dependent measures of EF showed weaker correlations with fine and gross motor tasks but seem to be adjusted for age (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). Findings from analyses with an inverse efficiency score (Bruyer & Brysbaert, 2011) and a combined score of reaction time and accuracy as dependent measure will also be presented and discussed in terms of shared processes.

Authors

• Michelle Maurer, University of Bern
  Presenting Author

• Claudia Roebers, Bern University
  Non-Presenting Author