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Association Between Motor Competence and Response Time in Portuguese Youth.
Fábio Flôres1,2,3, Ricardo Drews4, Vanessa Santos5
1Universidade de Évora, Escola de Ciências Sociais, Evora, Portugal.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|September 25, 2025
Summary
Motor competence (MC) significantly impacts response time (RT) in youth. Better stability and manipulative skills correlate with faster reaction times, crucial for physical education and sports.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Kinesiology
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Motor competence (MC) is crucial for daily activities and athletic performance.
- Understanding the link between MC and cognitive functions like response time (RT) is vital for youth development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between motor competence and response time in schoolchildren.
- To identify specific motor skills that predict response time.
Main Methods:
- 251 schoolchildren (mean age 14.58 years) participated over two sessions.
- Motor competence assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (stability, locomotor, manipulative skills).
- Response time measured via a structured reaction task; analyzed using Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression.
Main Results:
- A moderate negative correlation (r = -0.35, p < .001) was found between MC and RT.
- Stability and manipulative skills were significant predictors of faster RT.
- The model explained 24.4% of the variance in RT.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced motor competence is linked to more efficient cognitive processing and faster responses in adolescents.
- Findings underscore the importance of developing motor skills for overall youth development.
- Results have implications for designing physical education programs and sports training interventions.
