Executive Function Strengths in Athletes: a Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Author Information
Author(s): Ren Shuangquan, Shi Peng, Feng Xioasu, Zhang Kai, Wang Wenchao
Primary Institution: Northeast Petroleum University
Hypothesis
The executive functions of athletes are superior to those of the general population with no sports experience.
Conclusion
Athletes have superior executive function performance that increases with sports experience.
Supporting Evidence
- Athletes showed more positive inhibitory control and working memory compared to the general group with no sports experience.
- Elite and sub‐elite athletes performed better on cognitive flexibility tasks than amateur athletes.
- Open‐skilled athletes outperformed closed‐skilled athletes in working memory and cognitive flexibility tasks.
Takeaway
Athletes are better at thinking and remembering things than people who don't play sports, and the more they practice, the better they get.
Methodology
The study involved systematic review and meta-analysis of 41 articles, with data extraction and quality assessment performed by two researchers.
Potential Biases
Potential publication bias due to language limitations and the nature of included studies.
Limitations
The search process was limited by language, and there may be methodological quality issues in the included studies.
Participant Demographics
The study included 3845 athletes with a mean age ranging from 9.6 to 42.8 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.000
Confidence Interval
−0.869 to −0.392
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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