An Experimental Study On The Effects Of Multiple-Subject Skills Training On Executive Functions Of 6-7-Year-Old Children

Executive function,a high-level cognitive process that includes inhibitory control,working memory,and cognitive flexibility,plays a critical role in children’s development.Good executive function can help students improve academic performance and daily behavioral activities,while poorer executive function is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,conduct disorder,depression,obsessive-compulsive disorder,and schizophrenia in children.Current research suggests that individual executive functioning can be improved through sports interventions,such as aerobics,soccer,and badminton,with a focus on individual sports interventions and only a few comprehensive intervention programs that combine multiple sports.As a comprehensive intervention program,multi-physical skills training has a variety of basic motor skills and physical training contents,and focuses on the diversity of exercise methods and organizational forms,which is particularly important for the overall development of children’s physical and mental health.The purpose of the study: To investigate the effects of multi-subject skills training on the executive functions of 6-7-year-old children and to enrich the theoretical knowledge of executive motor interventions for children.Research methods: In this paper,we used literature method,questionnaire method,interview method,experimental method and other research methods to conduct a 12-week multi-body skill training intervention,by screening 88 subjects,and finally included 84 subjects,randomly divided into experimental group(N=42)and control group(N=42),the experimental group used multi-body skill training,and the control group used regular physical education class,each class 40 min,3 times a week for 12 weeks.Children’s inhibitory control,working memory,and cognitive flexibility were evaluated using the Flanker task,the 1-Back task,and the more-odd shifting task,respectively.A mixed experimental design of 2(group: experimental,control)X2(time:pretest,post-test)was used to investigate the effects of multi-subject skill training on the executive functions of 6-7-year-old children using repeated measures ANOVA for each task’s reaction time and correctness index.Results:(1)In the inhibition control task,the multi-subject skill group had significantly better response times(P<0.01)and correct rates(P<0.01)than the control group.(2)In the working memory task,the multi-subject skill group had significantly better reaction times(P<0.01)and correct rates(P<0.01)than the control group.(3)In the cognitive flexibility task,the multi-subject skill group had no significant difference from the control group in terms of correctness(P>0.05)and significantly better response times(P<0.01).Conclusions:(1)This paper confirms through test analysis that multi-body skill training and regular physical education classes can effectively improve the executive functions of 6-7 year old.(2)Multi-body skill training has a better effect on inhibitory control for 6-7 year old,as shown by faster reaction times and higher correctness rates in inhibitory control tasks.(3)Multi-subject skills training had a better effect on children’s working memory at the age of 6-7,as evidenced by faster reaction times and higher correctness rates in working memory tasks,and was better than in regular physical education classes.(4)Multi-subject skills training had a better effect on the cognitive flexibility of 6-7 year old,as evidenced by faster reaction times in the cognitive flexibility task.