This short article is a commentary on this special section of Perceptual and Motor Skills entitled Relationships between Executive Function and Sports/Exercise. Given the vast executive function research in sports already published, this moment is opportune for highlighting (a) progress to date, (b) research limitations yet to address, and (c) inspirational new findings. The articles that follow illustrate these themes.
AlesiM.BiancoA.LuppinoG.PalmaA.PepiA. (2016). Improving children’s coordinative skills and executive functions: The effects of a football exercise program. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 122(1). 27–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512515627527
2.
AndersonP. (2002). Assessment and development of executive function (EF) during childhood. Child Neuropsychology, 8(2), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1076/chin.8.2.71.8724
3.
BarkleyR. A. (2006). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment.New York: Guilford Press.
4.
BarkleyR. A. (2012). Executive functions: What they are, how they work, and why they evolved. New York: Guilford Press.
5.
BeavanA.SpielmanJ.EhmannP.MayerJ. (2022). The development of executive function in high-level female soccer players. Perceptual and Motor Skills, Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125221096989
6.
BorioniF.BlinoV.PesceC. (2022). Effect of baby swimming on motor and cognitive development: A pilot trial. Perceptual and Motor Skills, Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125221090203
7.
BushelD.GokelerA.HeuvelmansP.BaumeisterJ. (2022). Increased cognitive demands affects agility performance in female athletes: Implications for testing and training agility in team sports. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(4).
8.
ChangS. -H.ShieJ. -JYuN. -Y. (2022). Enhancing executive functions and handwriting with a concentration coordination exercise in children with ADHD: A randomized clinical trial. Perceptual and Motor Skills, Online ahead of print.
9.
CrushE. A.LoprinziP. D. (2017). Dose response effect of exercise and recovery on cognitive functioning. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 124(6), 1164–1193. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512517726920
10.
DiamondA. (2002). Normal development of prefrontal cortex from birth to young adulthood: Cognitive functions, anatomy, and biochemistry. In StussD. T.KnightR. T. (Eds.), Principles of frontal lobe function. (pp. 466–503). New York: Oxford University Press.
11.
EslingerP. J. (1996). Conceptualizing, describing, and measuring components of executive function: A summary. In LyonG. R.KrasnegorN. A. (Eds.), Attention, memory and executive function (pp. 367–395). Baltimore: Brookes.
12.
GiordanoG.AlesiM. (2022). Does physical activity improve response inhibition among kindergarteners?Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(4).
13.
GoldsteinM. (1994). Decade of the brain: An agenda for nineties. Western Journal of Medicine, 161(3), 239–241.
14.
Hyland-MonksR.MarchantD.CroninL. (2022). Self-paced endurance performance and cerebral hemodynamics of the prefrontal cortex: A scoping review of methodology and findings. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 129(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125221101017
15.
JordanB. (2013). The clinical spectrum of sport-related traumatic brain injury. Nature Reviews Neurology, 9(4), 222–230. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.33
16.
LezakM.D. (1995). Neuropsychological assessment (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
17.
MarianiM.BarkleyR. A. (1997). Neuropsychological and academic functioning in preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Developmental Neuropsychology, 13, 111–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565649709540671
18.
Mezcua-HidalgoA.Ruiz-ArizaA.Suarez-ManzanoS.Martinez-LopezE. (2019). 48-hour effects of monitored cooperative high-intensity interval training on adolescent cognitive functioning. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(2), 202–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512518825197
19.
RegardM. (1981). Cognitive rigidity and flexibility: A neuropsychological study. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of Victoria.
20.
RosannoM. J. (2011). Cognitive control: Social evolution and emotional regulation. Topics in Cognitive Science, 3(2), 238–241.
21.
SchlictaC.CabralL.da SilvaC.BigliassiM.PereiraG. (2022). Exploring the impact of mental fatigue and emotional suppression on the performance of high-intensity endurance exercise. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125221093898
22.
StroopJ. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643–662. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054651
23.
VossJ. D.ConnollyJ.SchwabK. A.SherA. I. (2015). Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Current Pain Headache Reports, 19, 32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-015-0506-z
24.
WhiteheadA.MontgomeryC.SwettenhamL.RobinsonN. (2022). The effect of Think Aloud on performance and brain oxygenation within a cycling task: An exploratory study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(4).
