Does body expression improve children’s attention and impulse control development? An ecological intervention in physical education

Abstract

Recent research has shown a decrease in attention and impulse control in childhood, so the development of children's cognitive functions, and specifically attention and impulse control, has aroused growing interest in the scientific literature. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of body expression on the development of attention and impulse control and its relationship with gender in 6-to-8-year-old boys and girls. A total of 43 children were enrolled in this research. CARAS-R test was used to assess selective attention and impulse control before and after an 8-week body expression intervention program. After the body expression intervention program (Pre-Post) carried in physical education, all children improve the attention results (p < .01, ES = 1.1 to 1.5, moderate to large), but no improvement was found in the impulse control (p > .05, ES = 0.1 to 0.2, trivial). In conclusion, the results obtained in the study seem to indicate that body expression in physical education sessions is an appropriate element to develop attention. These results could have important implications for physical education teachers, since it allows them to know the tools that improve the development of attention, to implement them in their sessions. Keywords: Cognitive function; physical activity; primary education; drama; impulsivity.