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Motor and cognitive control in a normative sample of 7-year-olds

Claudia M Roebers1, Marianne Kauer

  • 1School of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland. roebers@psy.unibe.ch

Developmental Science
|January 6, 2009
PubMed

Insights

This study found that cognitive and motor control are linked in 7-year-olds, suggesting executive functions are key. Efficient task performance in speed and accuracy is an important aspect of executive functioning.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Motor Control Research

Background:

  • Existing research highlights comorbid deficits in ADHD and DCD.
  • The relationship between cognitive and motor control in normative samples remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interrelation between cognitive and motor control in typically developing 7-year-olds.
  • To determine if control processes share variance in normative samples.

Main Methods:

  • Correlated performance on complex tasks in over 100 7-year-olds.
  • Controlled for age in the analysis.

Main Results:

  • Significant interrelations were found between certain aspects of cognitive and motor control.
  • Task performance efficiency (speed and accuracy) emerged as a crucial component of executive functioning.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive and motor control are interrelated in normative childhood development.
  • Executive functioning is integral to efficient task engagement in children.

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