Watson, Evelyn May;
(2025)
Investigating the characteristics of physical activity which underpin its benefits to inhibitory control in preadolescent children.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Inhibitory control, the ability to suppress habitual responses to allow for more appropriate ones in novel situations, has been shown to predict desirable outcomes throughout life. Lifestyle and environmental factors have been shown to be detrimental to the development of inhibitory control during childhood, predisposing individuals to adverse outcomes. It is imperative that children are provided with environments and opportunities supporting the development of inhibitory control. Physical activity has been shown to do so, however research remains inconclusive regarding what characteristics of physical activity drive its impact on inhibition. Thus, this thesis investigates what form of physical activity supports inhibitory control in preadolescent children. First, a cross-sectional study (n = 250, 9 ± 1 years old, 63 % female) investigated the association between inhibition and physical activity in different contexts. Greater activity during breaktimes at school was associated with better inhibitory control. A subsequent naturalistic experimental study (n = 54, 9 ± 1 years old, 41 % female) investigated the acute effects of this type of physical activity. Performance was better on both the simple reaction time and inhibition tasks following physical activity, in participants who adhered to both conditions. Finally, a laboratory-based study using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (n = 47, 10 ± 1 years old, 66 % female) compared two physical activity conditions designed to differ in the extent to which they were cognitive engaging. Considering participant perception of cognitive engagement, results showed better inhibitory control following the condition perceived as being more cognitively engaging, alongside lower neural activity. These findings confirm that physical activity is a valuable tool to support inhibitory control. It may be that optimal effects are seen when participants are cognitively engaged in a bout of physical activity. Future research should take a more child-centric approach when investigating how this can be promoted.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Investigating the characteristics of physical activity which underpin its benefits to inhibitory control in preadolescent children |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10218866 |
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