Using Covid-19 Restrictions to Differentiate Between Current and Past Physical Activities’ Associations With Executive Functions

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Attention, Learning, Memory

Abstract

Executive functions (EF) include cognitive skills that underlie one’s ability to regulate thoughts, feelings and actions to achieve a desired outcome (Diamond, 2013). While EF fluctuates throughout development, they are malleable at any age through intervention (Taylor et al., 2013). Physical activity (PA) is associated with varying levels of EF and acutely manipulating PA influences EF (Singh et al., 2019). However, the type of PA that improves EF is hotly debated (Diamond & Ling, 2019; Hillman et al., 2019). Specific aspects of PA, such as intensity (Tsuk et al., 2019), the structured nature of activities (Barker et al., 2014) or incorporating mindfulness (Diamond & Ling, 2016), may differentially influence EF.
COVID-19 has impacted youths’ PA. School, sporting events, social events and employment were abruptly halted, leading to more isolated and indoor sedentary daily routines. The sudden nature of the changes in daily routines and the anticipated gradual resumption of activities over the next year provides a unique opportunity to disentangle current (past month) versus long-term (e.g., past year, past 5 years, lifetime) PA associations with youths’ EF. The proposed study will examine whether both current and past PA predict EF in emerging adults. Based on results from intervention studies (e.g., Singh et al., 2019), we hypothesize that PA will predict EF and that activities engaged in more recently (i.e., past month) will predict EF even after controlling for other predictors of EF and past PA.
Approximately 120 emerging adults will be recruited from our university participant pool, and will receive course credit. Participants will complete online questionnaires, including a questionnaire about current and past PA, the BRIEF-Adult (self-report EF measure; Gioia et al., 2000), and questionnaires about multilingualism, musical training, mood, sleep and stress as control measures given that these relate to EF (see Table 1). Within one week of completing questionnaires, participants will complete a 1-hour battery of 9 EF measures using Adobe Connect (see Table 1).
With seven EF predictors used as control variables (age, gender, multilingualism, musical training, mood, stress, and sleep), and two as variables of interest (current vs. past PA) and assuming a moderate effect size (f=.15), with α=.05 and power=.80, an estimated 114 participants are required. Funding for the study is in place, as are all measures. Our institutional research ethics board has reviewed our ethics protocol and data collection is anticipated to begin in late October and continue through early March (an estimated 7-8 participants assessed weekly). Data entry and coding will be minimal as responses on most tasks and questionnaires will be record automatically. Scores will be calculated using prepared syntax and the 3-step hierarchical regression analysis (step 1: control variables; step 2: past PA; step 3: current PA) will be done in mid-March.
By capitalizing on the widely fluctuating changes in individuals’ daily activities brought about by COVID-19 restrictions, it could be possible to differentiate between current and past PA (typically highly correlated) and their respective associations with EF.

Authors

• Jenn Leckey, Dalhousie University
  Presenting Author

• Sophie Jacques, Dalhousie University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Shannon Johnson, Dalhousie University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gail Eskes, Dalhousie University
  Non-Presenting Author