ANN ALES • Ser. hist. nat. - 13 • 2003 • 2 original scientific paper received: 2003-10-28 UDK 612.76-053.3 NEXUS BETWEEN THE MOTOR PERFORMANCE AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF PRE-SCHOOL GIRLS Jurij PLANINŠEC Facuity of tducatioii, University of Maribor, S1-20Q0 Maribor, Koroška 160 Rado PIŠOT University of Primorska, Faculty of Education, 51 -6000 Koper, Cankarjeva 5 and University of Primorska, Science and Research Centre Koper, St-6000 Koper, Garibaldi jeva 1 ABSTRACT The main objective of the present study was to establish whether (here are connections between the motor performance and cognitive abilities of preschool girls. The sample of tested children included 138 girls, aged five. The psychological part of the testing was implemented with the test RAZKOL. The girls were tested with 28 tests for measuring motor abilities. The results show that there is a positive correlation between (he motor performance and cognitive abilities. The motor variables that show the highest correlations with cognitive variable are those having the characteristics of movement coordination, speed of movement and explosive strength. The results confirm the arguments that it is reasonable to treat the anthropological dimensions as components of an integral and organized system. Key words: motor performance, cognitive abilities, nexus, pre-schooi girls NESSO TRA PRESTAZÍONI MOTORIC ED A6ILITÁ COGNITIVE Di BJMBE IN ETA PR ESCOLARE SINTESI to scopo principale del presente studio é s'.ato quello di stabilize eventual/ nessi tea prestazioni motorie ed abilita cognitive in bimbe in eta piescolare. II carnpione considera to ha compreso 138 bimbe di 5 anni di ela. La parte psicológica deíla verifica e stata ese guita con i! test RAZKOL. Al fine di valutare le abilita motorie, le bimbe son o state soitoposte a 28 test. 1 risukati indicano che es is tono correlazioni positive tra prestazioni motorie ed abilita cognitive. Le variabili motorie che hanno evidenziato maggiori correlazioni con le variabili cognitive sono quelle con caratte-ristiche di coordinazione del movimento, velocita del movim&nto e forza esphsiva. i risultati confermano l'ipotesi che nel bambino bisogna considerare le different! dimension i antropologic'ne come partí integrant! di un sistema completo ed organizzato. Parole chiave: capacita motorie, Capacita cognitive, nesso, bimbe in efe prescolare 289 ANNALES • Ser. hist. n3t. • 13 • 2003 • 2 Jurij PLANSN5EC « Rado Pf$OT: httXUS BETWEEN tl It MOTOR PERfOPMANCf AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES Of PRE-SCHOOl ORIS. 289-394 INTRODUCTION The functioning of the whole human psychosomatic system, as well as the individual dimensions of this system, is to a great extent connected with the relation between these dimensions. The question has often been posed about the nature of the relationship between human motor performance and cognitive abilities. A more detailed analysis of this relationship is of particular importance with regard to children who are in the phase of dynamic development, since its results enable a better explanation of complex developmental processes. A better understanding of the laws of the motor development requires an exploration into motor dimensions and their relationship with other psychosomatic dimensions. The main objective of the present study was to establish whether there are connections between the motor performance and cognitive abilities of pre-schooi girls and, in case ¡1 is established that they do exist, to analyse them in greater detail. The questions connected with samples of a similar age group have been treated by several researchers (e.g. Leithwood, 1971; Thomas & Chis-som, 1972; Eggert & Schuck, 1978; Dickes, 1978; Zimmer, 1981; Madid, 1986; Clymer & Silva, 1988; Strel & Žagar, 1993; Krombholz, 1997; Planinšec, 2001), who have determined a positive correlation between motor and cognitive abilities. However, comparisons of their studies are almost impossible, as they use different samples of tested persons, battery of tests and data processing and offer different interpretations of the obtained results. Researches established there are two groups of factors that are important for the connections between motor and cognitive abilities. When a motor task does not contain problem situations, the connection can be explained by the speed of the information flow in the nervous system (e.g. Mejovšek, 1977; Mohan & Bhatia 1989; Reed & Jensen, 1991; Vernon & Mori, 1992). On the other hand, when a motor task does present a problem, the connection can be explained by the cognitive activities during the solving of a motor problem (Mejovšek, 1977; Planinšec, 2001). In our opinion, a relatively big problem with preschool children is posed by the implementation of testing, which causes more complications at this age than with older subjects. Pre-school children make a relatively great number of mistakes in the implementation of test tasks, which is particularly true of more demanding motor tasks. It can be concluded that certain problems connected with the implementation of test tasks by preschool children simply cannot be avoided, which has also been established by other authors (Pišot, 1997; Rajtmajer, 2000). Researchers have found that there are significant gender-related differences with regard to motor abilities (Thomas & French, 1985; Rajtmajer, 1993; Rajtmajer & Pisot, 1999). In spite of the conclusions thai there ate no greater gendei-related differences with regard to the relations between cognitive and psychomotor abilities (Carretta & Ree, 1996; Planinsec, 2001), it is necessary to carry out the study separately according to gender, particularly when the study involves young children, for this reason, the sample of the study presented below includes only girls. METHODS Tests were performed within the framework of the research project that has been in existence for several years as cooperation between the Faculty of Education and the Health Clinic of Maribor (Slovenia). Participants The sample comprised 138 girls, coming from northeast Slovenia. The average age of girls was exactly five. The selection of girls for the sample was random. Cognitive test The psychological part of the testing was implemented with the test RAZKOL (Praper, 1981) that has been standardized on the Slovenian population of preschool children. Test tasks are the following: drawing, matching of objects and geometric shapes, repetition of numbers, words and sentences, logical completion of sentences, the fulfilment of a sequence of commands, analogy of opposites, the recognition of the doer, the finding of differences, definition of usage, the understanding of numbers, and simple calculation. The exercises are adapted to different age periods and they increase according to the level of difficulty. During testing, different instruments were used. The test gives a global assessment of an individual's cognitive abilities, using verba! and non-verbal test tasks, while the results of the tests depend on the relation between the mental and chronological age- of the individual. Motor tests 28 tests were used for measuring the children's motor abilities (Rajtmajer & Proje, 1990), which have also been standardized on the Slovenian population and are appropriate for use on the chosen sample of tested girls. Motor tests belong to the following hypothetical dimensions: whole-body coordination (rolling the ball around the hoop, walking on rungs backwards, walking through hoops backwards, polygon backward, crawling under the bench, crawling with a ball, running after crawling), hand coordination (circulating the bail around the body, rolling the ball around the feet, leading the ball with two ANN ALES • Ser. hist. nat. - 13 • 2003 • 2 jii: i| FIANINSEC t. K.1ÍÍO PlSOT: NEXUS BETWEEN THE MOTOR PERPORMA1 iCÍ. ANO COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF PRE-SCHOCW. GIIÎIS, ¿89-294 hands in a standing position, building a tower from big foam rubber cubes, building with hollow cubes, building a tower from small wooden cubes), agility (stepping sideways, running with changing directions, running in a zigzag), explosive strength (standing long jump, standing triple jump, standing high jump), repetitive strength (stepping on a bench, sideways jumps, sideways jumps with hand support), speed of simple movements (hand lapping - two fields, foot tapping, hand tapping - 4 fields), balance (standing on a block longitudinally, standing on a block crosswise, standing on a vertical block). The girfs carried out three repetitions of each motor lest. Procedure The measurements of motor and cognitive abilities were always carried out in specially prepared rooms. The entire testing of one child did not exceed two hours. The measurements were carried out by qualified experts. Statistics The data was processed on PC with SPSS statistical program. Motor variables were treated in latent and manifest space. Factor analysis was used for establishing the latent space of motor dimensions. The determination of the number of important principal components was based on the Kaiser-Guttman criterion (À > 1). The sim pier definition of the structure of motor factors was based on the rotation of factors with the oblimin method. The relation between motor and cognitive variables was calculated using the method of multiple regression analysis. The system of predictors was represented by two groups of the motor variables: the first group contains the manifest variables, and the second group tlie latent factors. The criterion was in both cases represented by the result of the cognitive test. RESULTS The results show that there is a positive correlation between the motor and cognitive variables. In the first case (Tab- 1) there is a statistically significant correlation (p ~ 0.00) between the whole system of manifest motor variables and the cognitive variable. The coefficient of multiple correlation is quite high (R - 0.58). Between the motor and cognitive variables there is 33% of common variance (R" = 0.33). The individual motor variables which have a statistically significant correlation with the cognitive variable on the p < 0.05 level are the following: building with hollow cubes (f3 = 0.270), foot tapping t|3 = 0.229), standing triple jump ({3 » 0.217), running with changing directions (fl = 0.196), running after crawling E|3 = 0.184), and walking on rungs backwards (P = 0.171). Tab 1: Summary of regression analysis for manifest motor variables and cognitive variable if! - standardized coefficient of partial regression; p - the level of statistical significance; R - coefficient of multiple correlation; R~ - coefficient of determination). Tab. 1: Povzetek regresijske analize motoričnih in kognitivnih spremenljivk (fl - standardiziran koefícient delne regresi je; p - raven statistične pomembnosti; R -koeficient večkratne koretecije; ft - koeficient determinad je). No. Motor variable P P 1 BuiidiriK a tower from bitf foam rubber cubes .017 .8324 2 Standing on a block longitudinally .084 .3424 S Standing high jump .0 25 .7433 4 Hand lapping •■ two fields .039 .5790 S Rolling the ball around the feet -.002 ,970'J 6 Crawling with a ball -.034 .6594 7 Running with changing directions -.196 .0423* 6 Standing on a vertical block -.035 .6524 g Standi (if; iripte jump .217 .0189" ¡0 Stepping on a bench .07! .4346 í i Running after crawling -.184 .0180* 12 Buildinp with hollow cubes -.270 .0004* 13 Sideways jumps -.025 ,3036 14 Walking on rungs backwards .171 .0286* 15 Stepping sideways .121 .2240 16 Leading the bail with two hands -.101 . 1879 17 Running in a zigzag -.054 .4543 is Crawling under the bench .112 5S24 19 S Landing on a block crosswise .061 .5049 20 Sideways ¡umps with hand support -.049 .6178 2! Walking through hoops backwards .050 .6391 22 Roiling the bail around the hoop -.009 .9027 23 Building a tower from small wooden cubes -, 102 .2163 24 Foot tapping .229 .005 5+ 25 Hand tapping.....4 fields .111 .2112 26 Circulating the bail around the body --ÎS0 0797 27 Standing Ions jump .003 g 272 28 Polygon backward .007 .9488 Rl = .J35, R = .578. p = .0000 "p < .05 With the method of factor analysis, 8 motor factors were extracted. These factors are: speed of simple movements (Factor 1j, balance (factor 2), agility (Factor 3), speed of complex movements (Factor 4), explosive strength (Factor 5), eye-hand coordination (Factor 6), whole-body coordination (Factor 7), hand coordination {Factor 8). The obtained factors were used in the regression analysis, tn this case (Tab. 2!, there is a statistically significant correlation (p = 0.00) between the whole system of motor factors and the cognitive variable. The coefficient of multiple correlation is slightly lower (R = 0.40). There is 16% of common variance (R2 - 0.16) between the motor factors and (lie cognitive variable. Among the motor variables, six factors have a statistically significant correlation with the cognitive variable 291 ANNALES • Ser. hist. nat. • i 3 - 2003 • 2 jtiîij PLANINSKO I Rado «SOT: NEXUS BETWEEN THE MOTOR PERFORMANCE ANO COGNITIVE ABU ¡TIES O? PRE SCHOOL C«S. 3«9-23 .3523 3 Ability .1Î 7 .0382 4 Speed of complex movements • .216 .0018*" 5 Explosive strength .207 .0053" 6 fcye-hand coordination -.180 .01 14* *7 Whole-body coordination -.129 .0501* 8 Hand coordination -.167 .0208' R-' = . 165, R ^.407, p .- .000 7 * p £ .OS DISCUSSION 292 ANNALES • Scr. hist. nat. • 13 • 2003 • 2 iürij PLANiNitC * R*to t'liOl: NCXUS DCTWCfN TH| MOTOR PCRPOfcMANCf AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF PRE-SCHOOL CIRLS. 289-39* rally significant cor/elation coefficients with the cognitive variable. This can be explained by the fact that the motor factors present abilities with a wider range of activities, in which a greater number of different factors play an important role, including cognitive factors. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained on a sample of Slovenian preschool girls have confirmed the assumptions abotit the existence of a positive correlation between motor per- formance and cognitive abilities. The fact is that in the coLirse of development, changes occur in individual human abilities as well as in the relation between them. In the future it will thus be necessary to establish how the relation between motor performance and cognitive abilities changes. This will require similar analyses with the same tests on samples differing according to age, and the same will be necessary for a sample of boys. The above results confirm the arguments that it is reasonable to treat ail the anthropological dimensions as components of an integral and organized system. POVEZANOST MED MOTORIČNO UČINKOVITOSTJO IN KOGNITIVNIMI SPOSOBNOSTMI PREDŠOLSKIH DEKLIC Jurij RLANINŠEC Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Mariboru, SI-2000 Maribor, Korona 160 Rado PIŠOT Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza na Primorskem, SI-6000 Koper, Cankarjeva 5 in Univerza na Primorskem, Znanstvenoraziskovalno središče Koper, 51-6000 Koper, Garibaldijeva I POVZETEK Glavni namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti, ali obstaja povezanost med motoričnimi in kognitivnimi sposobnostmi pri deklicah v predšolskem obdobju. Vzorec je obsega/ 138 deklic, starih natančno 5 let. Psihološki del meritev je bil opravljen s testom RAZKOL. Za oceno motoričnih sposobnosti je bilo uporabljenih osemindvajset testov. Relacije med motoričnimi in kognitivnimi spremenljivkami so bile izračunane z metodo multiple regresijske analize. Rezultati kažejo, da obstaja pozitivna povezanost med motoričnimi in kognitivnimi sposobnostmi. 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