Relationships Between Reaction Time, Selective Attention, Physical Activity, and Physical Fitness in Children.

Rafael E Reigal,Rocío Juárez-Ruiz De Mier,Ignacio Martín,Antonio Hernández-Mendo,Silvia Barrero,Verónica Morales-Sánchez

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02278

Rafael E Reigal, Rocío Juárez-Ruiz De Mier + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02278

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between simple and complex reaction times (RTs) with the physical activity performed weekly, the physical fitness and selective attention in children of the third cycle of primary education. Participants were 119 children aged between 10 and 12 years (M = 10.71; SD = 0.77). The instruments used for data collection were the D2 attention test to analyze selective attention, various tests of the Eurofit and ALPHA-Fitness Battery to evaluate the physical condition, a bioimpedanciometer Tanita TBF 300 to evaluate the body composition, and the FITLIGHT Trainer to measure the simple and complex RTs. The group that carried out more weekly physical activity used less time in simple (p < 0.05, d = −0.68, 95% CI [−1.19, −0.17]) and complex RT tests (p < 0.05, d = −0.63, 95% CI [−1.14, −0.12]). Also, the results showed that the simple RT was related in a significant way with physical fitness, while the complex RT was related significantly to attentional capacity and physical fitness.

Highlights

Reaction time (RT) is a relevant variable in areas such as sports, academics, and other tasks of daily life (Metin et al, 2016; Sant’Ana et al, 2016). It can be defined as the time that elapses from when a stimulus appears until a response is given and is considered a good measure to assess the capacity of the cognitive system to process information (Jensen, 2006; Kuang, 2017)
The ICC2,1 was calculated for two halves (Wells et al, 2014) by calculating the mean RT for the lights at positions 1, 3, 5, 7 and 2, 4, 6, 8
The results showed ICC2,1 = 0.92, standard error of measurement (SEM) = 39.87, and minimal difference (MD) = 110.51 ms for the simple task (SRT)

Summary

Introduction

Reaction time (RT) is a relevant variable in areas such as sports, academics, and other tasks of daily life (Metin et al, 2016; Sant’Ana et al, 2016). It can be defined as the time that elapses from when a stimulus appears until a response is given and is considered a good measure to assess the capacity of the cognitive system to process information (Jensen, 2006; Kuang, 2017). There are differences between simple and complex RTs. The first is defined as the interval time between when a stimulus appears, its detection, and the given response (Jayaswal, 2016). The second involves the identification and selection of a response to various stimuli (Boisgontier et al, 2014)

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