Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2025
Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
Published on: September 11, 2017
Relationship Between Gross Motor Skills and Inhibitory Control in Preschool Children: A Pilot Study
Jiajia Liu1, Yiyan Li1, Tang Zhou1
1School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Gross motor skills and inhibitory control are linked in preschoolers. Better gross motor skills correlate with faster reaction times in inhibitory control tasks, suggesting a connection in early development.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Motor Skills
- Cognitive Control
Background:
- Gross motor skills (GMS) and inhibitory control (IC) are crucial for preschooler development.
- Existing research on the GMS-IC relationship in preschoolers is limited, with most studies focusing on older populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between gross motor skills and inhibitory control in preschool-aged children.
- To address the gap in current literature regarding GMS and IC in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study utilizing baseline data from 123 preschoolers.
- GMS assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development (2nd edition) (locomotor and object control skills).
- Inhibitory control evaluated via the Fish Flanker task (accuracy and reaction time).
- Multivariate linear regression models analyzed the relationships.
Main Results:
- Gross motor skills, including locomotor and object control skills, were negatively associated with inhibitory control reaction time.
- Specifically, improved GMS correlated with faster reaction times on the IC task (e.g., GMS: β = -8.27 ms).
Conclusions:
- A significant negative correlation exists between gross motor skills and inhibitory control reaction time in preschoolers.
- Further prospective and experimental studies are recommended to confirm these findings.
Purpose:
Gross motor skills (GMS) and inhibitory control (IC) which are both development in preschool stage is significant for preschooler to healthy growth. However, the evidence of relationship between them in preschoolers are still insufficient, most of studies only focus on youth. Thus, the aim of this research is to examine the association between GMS and IC in preschool children.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study used baseline data from a previous intervention study of preschoolers conducted in 2018. GMS were assessed by using the Test for Gross Motor Development (2nd edition) in preschoolers, which includes two subtests of locomotor and object control skills. Total GMS is calculated from the sum of these two subtests. The Fish Flanker task was used to evaluate both accuracy and reaction time of IC. Multivariate linear regression models were established to analyze the relationships between GMS and IC.
Results:
A total of 123 preschool-age children (55 girls, 68 boys) were included in the final analysis. After adjusting for confounders, GMS (β = -8.27 ms, 95%CI: -14.2, -2.34), locomotor (β = -11.2 ms, 95%CI: -21.43, -0.97), and object control skills (β = -12.15 ms, 95%CI: -22.07, -2.23) were all negatively related with reaction time of IC.
Conclusion:
There was a significant negative correlation between gross motor skills and the reaction time of inhibitory control in preschool children. Further research is needed to verify this finding in prospective and experimental studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Hierarchy of Motor Control
01:30Information Processing Approach
00:46Feedback Inhibition