Short-term effects of physical and cognitive activity on selective attention in preschool children.

Visual distractors (salient cartoon images) significantly slowed reaction times in preschool children regardless of activity condition.

• Distractor presence produced a significant main effect on reaction times (F = 33.59, p < .001)
• This effect was observed in a visual search task using salient cartoon distractors
• The distractor effect persisted across all conditions including post-activity conditions
• Findings indicate strong bottom-up distraction 'remains hard to override acutely' in preschoolers

All three activity conditions (HI-PA, MI-PA, and CA) produced faster post-activity reaction times compared to pre-activity baseline in the visual task.

• Pre vs. HI-PA effect size: d = 0.98
• Pre vs. MI-PA effect size: d = 0.82
• Pre vs. CA effect size: d = 0.80
• No reliable differences were found among the three post-activity conditions in the visual task
• Sample consisted of 31 preschool children (Mage = 5.38, SD = 0.44) in a within-subjects design

In the auditory oddball task, post-activity responses were faster than baseline and high-intensity physical activity conferred an additional benefit over cognitive activity.

• HI-PA produced faster reaction times than CA in the auditory oddball task
• All post-activity conditions were faster than baseline in the oddball task
• Deviant stimulus presence did not affect performance in the oddball task
• Results were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models

Preschool children's attentional control systems are developmentally immature, motivating the study of acute activity as an enhancement strategy.

• The study was framed around 'developmental immaturity of attentional control systems' at preschool age
• The study aimed to assess whether acute activity could enhance children's ability to filter irrelevant stimuli across visual and auditory modalities
• Participants were preschool-aged children with mean age 5.38 years (SD = 0.44)

The study used a within-subjects experimental design with two computerized attention tasks administered following each of three intervention conditions and a baseline.

• 31 preschool children each completed tasks following HI-PA, MI-PA, CA, and a pre-activity baseline
• Tasks included a visual search task with salient cartoon distractors and an auditory oddball task
• Reaction times were the primary outcome measure analyzed via linear mixed-effects models
• The design was within-subjects, meaning each child served as their own control across all conditions

The findings support that brief, feasible classroom activities—whether physical or sedentary-cognitive—are sufficient to enhance general attentional readiness in preschoolers.

• Effect sizes for post-activity improvements ranged from d = 0.80 (CA) to d = 0.98 (HI-PA) in the visual task
• Authors describe activities as 'brief, feasible classroom activities'
• Both physical and cognitive sedentary conditions improved performance, suggesting the benefit is not exclusive to physical activity
• Authors note implications for 'low-cost, developmentally appropriate interventions targeting attention in early education'