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E ec s o physical ac i i y b eaks on cogni i e
unc ion in unde g adua e s uden s: a pilo s udy
Juan Ca los Pas o -Vicedo, Ma ía Pila León, F ancisco Tomás González-
Fe nández & Alejand o P ie o-Ayuso
To ci e his a icle: Juan Ca los Pas o -Vicedo, Ma ía Pila León, F ancisco Tomás González-
Fe nández & Alejand o P ie o-Ayuso (2024) E ec s o physical ac i i y b eaks on cogni i e
unc ion in unde g adua e s uden s: a pilo s udy, Cogen Social Sciences, 10:1, 2326692, DOI:
10.1080/23311886.2024.2326692
To link o his a icle: h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/23311886.2024.2326692
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma
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Cogen SoCial SCienCeS
2024, Vol. 10, no. 1, 2326692
E ec s o physical ac i i y b eaks on cogni i e unc ion in
unde g adua e s uden s: a pilo s udy
Juan ca los pas o -Vicedoa , Ma ía pila Leónb , F ancisco omás González-Fe nándezc
and alejand o p ie o-ayusob
aDepa men o Didac ics o Physical educa ion, a s educa ion and Music, Uni e si y o Cas illa-la Mancha, albace e, Spain;
bDepa men o Didac ics o Physical educa ion, a s educa ion and Music, Uni e si y o Cas illa-la Mancha, Cuenca, Spain;
cDepa men o Physical educa ion and Spo s, Uni e si y o g anada, g anada, Spain
ABSTRACT
physical ac i i y is known o ha e se e al cogni i e bene i s. as a esul , many eache s
in oduce sho bou s o physical ac i i y (ac i e b eaks) du ing hei lessons. howe e ,
ac i e b eaks a e less common in he uni e si y con ex , whe e s uden s end o emain
passi e du ing lessons. he e o e, he e is a pauci y o li e a u e on ac i e b eaks and
hei bene i s o unde g adua e s uden s. his s udy aimed o in es iga e he e ec s
o a 10-min ac i e b eak a mode a e in ensi y on igilance in unde g adua e s uden s
by using a psychomo o igilance ask. wen y-six unde g adua e s uden s (Mage = 23.36,
SD = 1.98; 53.8% emales) pa icipa ed in his s udy and pe o med wo condi ions:
con ol condi ion (passi e condi ion) and expe imen al condi ion (ac i e b eak). esul s
e ealed ha a e ecei ing 10 min o mode a e-in ensi y physical ac i i y, he s uden s
imp o ed hei a en ion, as hey esponded as e o he psychomo o igilance ask
han in he con ol condi ion. conside ing hese esul s, i seems ha s uden s can
bene i om physical ac i i y b eaks by imp o ing hei igilance. howe e , as his
conclusion is based on a pilo s udy, we should be cau ious in in e p e ing hese
esul s. Fu he esea ch in o his inding is needed.
In oduc ion
he li e a u e demons a es ha ou b ains lea n be e wi h me hods ha encou age s uden s o be
ac i e in he lessons (Schmid e al., 2016). one o he main conce ns abou s uden s’ passi e ole in a-
di ional mas e class-based eaching is ha hei o e all a en ion is nega i ely a ec ed (Windschi l, 1999),
which in u n could dec ease s uden s’ lea ning (Janssen e al., 2014). he e o e, addi ional e o s a e
needed o use new eaching me hods ha enhance he ac i e pa icipa ion o s uden s. an example
could be he in eg a ion o ac i e b eaks (i.e. sho bou s o physical ac i i y du ing o be ween lessons)
wi hin he school day, which may lead o imp o emen s in s uden s’ a en ion, knowledge acquisi ion, and
cogni i e pe o mance (hogan e al., 2013; Van den Be g e al., 2016). Such cogni i e pe o mance e e s
o he cogni i e/execu i e unc ioning [i.e. ‘a se o gene al con ol p ocesses ha egula e one’s hough s
and beha io ’ (Miyake & F iedman, 2012, p. 8)] ha includes se e al men al abili ies, such as easoning,
hinking, emembe ing, p oblem-sol ing, decision making, a en ion, and lea ning (Fishe e al., 2019).
physical ac i i y is known o ha e se e al cogni i e bene i s, which in u n a e posi i ely associa ed
wi h academic pe o mance (Donnelly e al., 2016). Se e al s udies wi h child en e eal an associa ion
be ween physical ac i i y and cogni ion in gene al (chaddock e al., 2011; howie e al., 2014), and a en-
ion in pa icula (in an es-paniagua e al., 2021; Ma e al., 2015; Maha , 2011; udasill e al., 2010). he
abili y o sus ain a en ion o e ime and o espond app op ia ely o in equen s imuli is commonly
known as sus ained a en ion o igilance (Da ies & pa asu aman, 1982). i is widely accep ed in
© 2024 he au ho (s). Published by in o ma UK limi ed, ading as aylo & F ancis g oup
CONTACT alejand o P ie o-ayuso alejand o[email p o ec ed] Depa men o Didac ics o Physical educa ion, a s educa ion and Music,
Uni e si y o Cas illa-la Mancha, Campus Uni e si a io s/n, Cuenca, 16071, Spain
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/23311886.2024.2326692
his is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons a ibu ion license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which
pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. he e ms on which his a icle has been
published allow he pos ing o he accep ed Manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o wi h hei consen .
ARTICLE HISTORY
ecei ed 3 May 2023
e ised 18 Feb ua y 2024
accep ed 29 Feb ua y
2024
KEYWORDS
acu e physical ac i i y;
exe cise b eaks;
unde g adua es; sus ained
a en ion; physical
educa ion
REVIEWING EDITOR
pie Luigi Sacco,
humani ies, iuLM
uni e si y, Milano, i aly
SUBJECTS
eache s & eache
educa ion; highe
educa ion; physical
educa ion
2 J. c. paS o -ViceDo e aL.
neu oimaging s udies (D ummond e al., 2005) ha main aining high igilance pe o mance in igilance
asks o any leng h o ime is e y demanding (oken e al., 2006; Sa e e al., 2001). Low le els o ig-
ilance esul in slowe eac ion imes, esponse an icipa ion, a dec ease in pe o mance wi h ime-on-
ask, o e en ailu e o de ec he a ge . esea che s sugges ha his decline in pe o mance o e ime
e lec s he loss o a en ional esou ces (hel on & Wa m, 2008; Wa m e al., 1996, 2008).
p e ious s udies ha e demons a ed a posi i e ela ionship be ween igilance and academic pe o -
mance a se e al educa ional le els, including adolescen s (S einmay e al., 2010; au mann & Zep ,
2012) and uni e si y s uden s (in an es-paniagua e al., 2021). his posi i e associa ion implies be e
lea ning, as obse ed in a ecen s udy wi h uni e si y s uden s (Fenesi e al., 2018). Fo his eason,
se e al esea che s ecommend inc easing ac i a ion le els h ough physical ac i i y du ing lessons o
compensa e o he dec ease in igilance. Some au ho s (e.g. ho gan, 2003) ag ee ha he demands
du ing he lessons change e e y 10–15 min, which s ongly sugges s he impo ance o igilance o
espond o di e en si ua ions and changes du ing he school day (Goh e al., 2016). he e o e, de elop-
ing ac i e b eaks a mode a e in ensi y le els du ing he lessons could es o e igilance le els and main-
ain academic pe o mance a i s bes (in an es-paniagua e al., 2021).
howe e , i seems ha no all ac i e b eaks ha e he same e ec s on igilance. Se e al au ho s ha e
ied o ind he ideal cha ac e is ics o ac i e b eaks o achie e g ea e imp o emen s in cogni ion.
Some o hese cha ac e is ics ha ha e been s udied a e he du a ion (min) and in ensi y o physical
ac i i y (low, mode a e, o igo ous), which a e mode a o s in he e ec s o ac i e b eaks. he app op i-
a e du a ion o ac i e b eaks is an ongoing deba e in he li e a u e. howe e , i seems ha a leas
10 min o physical ac i i y is needed o achie e posi i e changes and imp o emen s in child en’s igi-
lance (Janssen e al., 2014; Ma ínez-López e al., 2020). acco ding o he ex an li e a u e, he e is a peak
in eac ion ime pe o mance (using simple and choice eac ion ime asks) du ing mode a e in ensi y
exe cise, ha is, be ween 60 and 80% o he Vo2 max (B isswal e e al., 2002).
in addi ion, exe cise a mode a e in ensi y imp o es igilance, mo i a ion, and cogni i e pe o mance
(Da anche & audi en, 2004; owen e al., 2018a), as well as inc eases he me abolic load (inc eased
dehyd a ion, changes in plasma le els o ce ain neu o ansmi e s, e c.; ace edo & ekkekakis, 2006;
Kenney e al., 2013; Wilmo e e al., 1995). on he con a y, low o igo ous exe cise esul s in pe o -
mance de e io a ion o a lack o signi ican changes in cogni ion (B isswal e e al., 2002).
Gi en he posi i e e ec s o mode a e-in ensi y exe cise on sus ained a en ion o igilance, i is o
in e es ha esea che s in es iga e hese e ec s which in u n exe a majo impac on pe o mance
du ing he lessons (B eslau e al., 2010; chang e al., 2012; Duncan e al., 2007; abine e al., 2016;
ompo owski e al., 2011). howe e , o he bes o ou knowledge, he e is a pauci y o s udies measu -
ing igilance pe o mance a e a sho bou o physical exe cise in an academic con ex , especially in
he uni e si y con ex (Budde e al., 2008; Gallo a e al., 2012, 2015). his is a he su p ising as mos
s udies wi h adul s ha e shown a posi i e e ec o acu e exe cise on igilance (e.g. chang & e nie ,
2009). he e o e, imp o emen s in he unc ionali y o he a en ional se could lead o imp o emen s in
memo y and knowledge acquisi ion (Dagenbach & ca , 1994).
his s udy aimed o examine he e ec s o a 10-min ac i e b eak a mode a e in ensi y on igilance
in unde g adua e s uden s by using a psychomo o Vigilance ask (pV ). acco ding o p e ious li e a u e,
which has demons a ed a posi i e ela ionship be ween physical ac i i y, b ain unc ion, and cogni i e
pe o mance (e.g. Maha , 2011; owen e al., 2018b), we expec ed ac i e b eaks o imp o e s uden s’
sus ained a en ion o igilance.
Me hods
S udy design
he p esen s udy was based on he wi hin-pa icipan s design wi h he ac o o e o condi ion (con-
ol condi ion and expe imen al condi ion) and ime-on- ask (10-min physical ac i i y in which s uden s
pe o med mo o games based on coo dina ion skills, locomo o skills ( unning, jumping, sliding…) and
s abili y skills (balancing, bending, u ning…). he uni e si y s uden s we e selec ed o con enience and
pe o med bo h condi ions (con ol and expe imen al). o in es iga e he e ec s o a 10-min ac i e b eak
coGen SociaL ScienceS 3
a mode a e in ensi y, hose in he con ol condi ion we e asked o main ain hei o dina y ou ines
du ing he class, while hose in he expe imen al condi ion pe o med an ac i e b eak.
Pa icipan s
a o al o 26 unde g adua e s uden s, 12 males and 14 emales (Mage = 23.36, SD = 1.98) pa icipa ed in
his pilo s udy, bo h in he expe imen al and con ol condi ions. Mos o he s uden s had a mode a e
le el o physical i ness, wi h a Vo2 max o 53.13 mL·kg−1·min−1 (±5.41) (see able 1 o u he in o ma-
ion). hey we e ec ui ed om he Facul y o educa ion in albace e (uni e si y o cas illa-La Mancha,
Spain) using lye s. all pa icipan s we e heal hy, epo ed no mal o co ec ed o no mal ision, and had
no his o y o neu ological o physical diso de s.
Ins umen s
Hea a e and VO2 max
pola eam p o M ha dwa e and so wa e (pola elec , co p., Finland) we e used o egis e hea a e
du ing he sessions. he pola eam p o™ Senso inco po a es an in eg a ed GpS (10 hz), a hea a e
equency senso , and a sys em o h ee mic o-elec ical-mechanical componen s (i.e. accele ome e ,
gy oscope, and digi al compass; 200 hz). his senso mus be used wi h he pola eam p o™ so s ap.
hea a e da a was simul aneously eco ded by he class oom eache using an ipad™ a he ime o he
in e en ion. hea a e da a was immedia ely measu ed a e he ac i e b eak session. he o mula
(208 − [0.7 × age]) p oposed by anaka e al. (2001) was used o ob ain he es ima ed h eshold o he
pa icipan s.
Due o he complexi y o ob aining he exac Vo2 max in he educa ional con ex , he ecommenda-
ion o pe o m he mul i-s age 20 m shu le un es (Lége e al., 1988) was conside ed. acco ding o
Lang e al. (2018), he Vo2 max could be es ima ed om he numbe o s ages (pe iods) o he es and
he age o he s uden s using he ollowing o mula:
VO max s age s age + s age age
231 025 3 238 3 248 0 1536
= +⋅−⋅ ⋅⋅
.. . .
Psychomo o igilance ask
he pa icipan s’ mobile phone was used o p esen he s imuli in he pV (Wilkinson & hough on, 1982).
Mobile phone no i ica ions we e blocked be o ehand. he cen e o he mobile phone sc een was placed
~30–40 cm om he pa icipan ’s head and a eye le el. in he pV , pa icipan s we e asked o ouch he
sc een as soon as hey saw he ime in he cen e o he sc een. he e was no hing on he sc een un il
he ime andomly appea ed. Such ime , shown in Figu e 1, s a ed a he speed o a eal s opwa ch
and could be p esen ed on he sc een a e a andom ime in e al anging om 2000 o 10,000 ms.
a e ouching he sc een, pa icipan s ecei ed hei esul in ms du ing a 300 ms in e ial, and hen he
nex ial (i.e. ime ) began. Ve bal and w i en ins uc ions we e gi en o pa icipan s be o e he s a o
he pV in each session. hey we e asked o ixa e hei a en ion on he cen e o he sc een, no o
mo e hei eyes, and o espond as quickly as possible (while a oiding an icipa ion e o s).
he du a ion o he ask in each condi ion was 10 min (Loh e al., 2004). he i s i e ials o he pV
we e disca ded om he analysis and used o e i y ha pa icipan s had unde s ood he pV . ials wi h
Table 1. Desc ip i e in o ma ion on he pa icipan s’ cha ac e is ics (mean ± SD).
Pa icipan s (n = 15)
age (yea s) 23.36 ± 1.98
Vo2 max (ml·kg−1·min−1)53.13 ± 5.41
Walking Me (min/week) 240.18 ± 229.78
Mode a e Me (min/week) 3960.12 ± 1911.23
Vigo ous Me (min/week) 1200.34 ± 1605.12
Hea a e mean (con ol condi ion) 71.91 ± 14.37
Hea a e mean (expe imen al condi ion) 112.86 ± 17.81
4 J. c. paS o -ViceDo e aL.
eac ion imes below 100 ms we e assumed o ep esen an icipa ion e o s and we e disca ded om
he analysis. pa icipan s comple ed 74.33 (±7.14) and 71.21 (±8.61) ials in he con ol and expe imen al
condi ions espec i ely. accu acy and eac ion ime (co ec ed i ems) we e ex ac ed o each condi ion
achie ed by each pa icipan .
P ocedu e
wo weeks be o e he in e en ion, he ollowing measu es we e egis e ed: an h opome ic da a, cu en
spo s habi s, le el o physical ac i i y, addic ions, and medical condi ions ha migh in e e e wi h phys-
ical ac i i y. We ollowed he guidelines o he ame ican college o Spo s Medicine (2010) o ensu e he
sa e y o he pa icipan s. S uden s p o ided hei e bal consen be o e de eloping he s udy. all pa -
icipan s we e ea ed acco ding o he ame ican psychological associa ion guidelines o ensu e he ano-
nymi y o hei esponses. he s udy was conduc ed in acco dance wi h he e hical p inciples o he
helsinki Decla a ion o 1964 o esea ch in ol ing human subjec s and was app o ed by he hospi al
esea ch e hics commi ee o [ci y o app o al] [ e e ence: 2020/07/076].
one week be o e in e en ion, pa icipan s pe o med he 20 m shu le un es ollowing Lége ’s p o-
ocol o p edic ing Vo2 max (Lége e al., 1988; Lége & Gadou y, 1989). hey had o un be ween wo
lines 20 m apa while keeping up wi h audio signals om a p e- eco ded cD. he ini ial speed was
8.5 km/h, and his was inc eased by 0.5 km/h e e y minu e, indica ing he nex s age. he las s age
eco ded as comple ed was used o p edic Vo2 max. hea a e was assessed using he pola M430 wi h
a w is band wi h an h10 hea a e moni o (pola elec o oy, Kempele, Finland).
o coun e ac possible bias, physical ac i i y le els and Vo2 max we e used as e e ence indica o s o
ini ially di ide he sample in o he con ol and expe imen al condi ions. he expe imen al condi ion pe -
o med he ac i e b eak in e en ion in a spo s hall ( i s loo ), while he con ol condi ion was in a
class oom on he second loo , con inuing wi h hei o dina y ou ine eaching.
pa icipan s comple ed wo sessions (expe imen al and con ol condi ion) on sepa a e weeks, bu on
he same day o he week (Wednesday om 10 o 12 am) and loca ion. he pa icipan ’s hea a e was
moni o ed du ing bo h sessions o con ol he in ensi y o he session, especially in he expe imen al
condi ion.
o conduc he s udy, all pa icipan s ecei ed a 25-min mas e class. a e ha , hose in con ol con-
di ion ead a scien i ic pape on physical ac i i y and cogni ion (10 min). Meanwhile, pa icipan s in he
expe imen al condi ion pe o med 10 min o physical ac i i y a 60–80% o Vo2 max. a e pa icipa ing
in hese asks, all s uden s comple ed he pV in 10 min. Finally, hey a ended he es o he mas e
class o 15 min. one week la e , s uden s in he con ol condi ion pa icipa ed in he expe imen al con-
di ion and ice e sa, bu he e was no washou pe iod be ween he wo condi ions. See Figu e 2 o a
g aphical desc ip ion o he p ocedu e.
Figu e 1. example o one ial o he psychomo o igilance ask (PV ).
coGen SociaL ScienceS 5
S a is ical analysis
his pilo expe imen was based on a wi hin-pa icipan s design wi h a ac o o e o condi ion (con ol
condi ion and expe imen al condi ion) and ime-on- ask (one 10-min physical ac i i y wi h mo o games
and coo dina i e exe cises). hese 10 min we e di ided in o 1-min slo s o examine he ime cou se o
eac ion ime in he pV . wo-way epea ed measu es anoVa was used o analyze he eac ion ime
da a. hea a e da a was analyzed using pai ed-sample - es s. e ec sizes a e indica ed by cohen’s d o
- es s (small, d = 0.2; medium, d = 0.5; and la ge, d = 0.8) and pa ial e a squa ed o anoVas (Lakens,
2013). he G eenhouse-Geisse co ec ion was applied when sphe ici y was iola ed (Jennings & Wood,
1976). he le el o signi icance was se a p < 0.05 o all analyses.
Resul s
Hea a e
a pai ed sample - es con i med ha he s uden s had a lowe hea a e du ing he con ol condi ion
(70.81 bmp ± 14.89) compa ed o he expe imen al condi ion (112.86 bmp ± 15.30), (16) = −20.15,
p < .001, d = −2.78.
Reac ion imes
a epea ed measu es analysis o a iance (anoVa) on he mean o pa icipan s’ eac ion imes wi h he
ac o s o he session (con ol and expe imen al condi ion) and ask du a ion (10 min) e ealed a signi i-
can main e ec o he session, F (1, 16) = 7.96, p = .01, η2 = .34. as shown in Figu e 3, pa icipan s
esponded as e in he expe imen al condi ion (318 ms) han in he con ol condi ion (373.55 ms). he e
was also a signi ican main e ec o ime-on- ask, F (9, 135) = 7.76, p = .001, η2 = .34. he in e ac ion
be ween he ac o s o he session and ime-on- ask was no signi ican F < 1.
Discussion
his pilo s udy aimed o examine he e ec s o 10-min ac i i y b eaks on igilance in unde g adua e
s uden s using a pV . o obse e hese possible e ec s, we compa ed he esul s o he pV (based on
sus ained a en ion) be ween he con ol and expe imen al condi ions.
acco ding o ou expec a ions, pa icipan s in he expe imen al condi ion signi ican ly imp o ed hei
igilance a e ecei ing 10 min o physical ac i i y in compa ison wi h he con ol condi ion, as hey
esponded as e on he pV a e he ac i e b eaks. his imp o emen in igilance ollowing physical
ac i i y b eaks has also been obse ed in p e ious esea ch wi h child en (Ma e al., 2015; Maha , 2011)
and unde g adua e s uden s, as niede meie e al. (2020) demons a ed ha 10 min o physical ac i i y
inc eased hei isual a en ion. his inding sugges s ha e en sho bou s o physical ac i i y help o
imp o e igilance in unde g adua e s uden s, which in u n may help o imp o e hei knowledge acqui-
si ion and lea ning (Janssen e al., 2014). on he con a y, Wilson e al. (2016) ound no e ec on s u-
den s’ sus ained a en ion, al hough hese au ho s conside ha ac i e b eaks a e e ec i e in inc easing
s uden s’ physical ac i i y le els. in his line, Bailey e al. (2014) ound no e ec on concen a ion pe o -
mance a e mode a e coo dina i e exe cise (i.e. mode a e in ensi y exe cise in ol ing bila e al
Figu e 2. Schema ic ep esen a ion o he expe imen (see ex o ull desc ip ion).
6 J. c. paS o -ViceDo e aL.
mo emen s equi ing coo dina ion). hus, cogni i e e ec s migh be mainly mode a ed by he in ensi y
o he exe cise a he han by he ype o exe cise. acco dingly, Van den Be g e al. (2016) did no ind
signi ican di e ences ega ding he e ec s o h ee ypes o exe cise on cogni ion: ae obic, coo dina ion,
and s eng h exe cises.
in addi ion, ou esul s showed a lowe hea a e du ing he con ol condi ion compa ed o he
expe imen al condi ion. hus, pa icipan s pe o med wo se in he con ol condi ion han in he expe i-
men al condi ion. highe igilance pe o mance was ound in he expe imen al condi ion a mode a e
in ensi ies. in his sense, acco ding o an in e ed u-shape ac i a ion hypo hesis (e.g. ompo owski, 2003),
ou da a sugges ha he in ensi y o he exe cise used in ou s udy did no exceed he ‘c i ical poin ’
ac i a ion a any ime (chmu a e al., 2002). in e ms o in ensi y, p e ious s udies ha e also ound ha
mode a e in ensi y exe cise has bene icial e ec s on cogni i e skills (owen e al., 2018a) whe eas low o
mode a e in ensi y does no appea o ha e such posi i e e ec s (Van den Be g e al., 2016).
Conclusions
he implemen a ion o ac i e b eaks has gained popula i y in schools due o hei cogni i e bene i s.
howe e , o he educa ional se ings, such as he uni e si y con ex , ha e ecei ed li le a en ion in he
s udy o ac i e b eaks and cogni ion. he e o e, his wo k could be a s a ing poin in his a ea o knowl-
edge. al hough we should be cau ious in in e p e ing he esul s o his pilo s udy, i seems ha he
implemen a ion o sho ac i e b eaks a mode a e in ensi y du ing classes in he uni e si y con ex may
well imp o e cogni i e unc ion h ough igilance pe o mance.
Despi e he no el y o his s udy, we would like o acknowledge some limi a ions ha could be
add essed in u u e esea ch. i would be aluable o inc ease he sample and include bo h unde g ad-
ua es and s uden s om o he educa ional le els, which would gi e us a b oade iew o i and b ing
o ligh new knowledge abou he e ec o ac i e b eaks. also, as we only measu e he acu e e ec o
ac i e b eaks in his s udy, i would be in e es ing o in eg a e ac i e b eaks in o he cu iculum o
obse e hei long- e m e ec s on s uden s’ cogni ion. Fu he mo e, as ac i e b eaks seem o ha e a
posi i e e ec on a en ion and cogni ion, u u e esea ch could assess hei e ec on academic
Figu e 3. Psychomo o igilance ask. Pa icipan s’ mean eac ion ime (±Se) and indi idual pe o mance as a unc ion
o e o condi ion.
coGen SociaL ScienceS 7
pe o mance. ano he limi a ion o his s udy could be he ins umen . al hough he pV is app op ia e
o measu ing a en ion, o he ins umen s, such as he encephalog aph would p o ide us wi h mo e
in o ma ion abou he success o ac i e b eaks in e ms o cogni ion as we would ha e da a on b ain
connec i i y.
Finally, we would like o men ion he didac ic implica ions o his s udy. in he uni e si y cou ses,
lessons usually las 60 min o mo e. he e o e, an ac i e b eak in he middle o he lesson can be de el-
oped o imp o e s uden s’ a en ion. also, i would be use ul o e iew wha has been explained h ough
physical mo emen . Fo example, he eache can associa e some physical mo emen s (e.g. jumping)
wi h any e bal o isual s imuli ela ed o he cu icula con en o a subjec (e.g. ypes o bones).
howe e , ac i e b eaks can also be implemen ed h ough mechanical ac i i ies (e.g. jumping o 30 s).
al hough he implemen a ion o ac i e b eaks may seem complex, i is possible o implemen hem wi h
unde g adua e s uden s is possible as no special esou ces, spaces, o ma e ials a e needed. ac i e b eaks
also help o p omo e physical ac i i y, which ends o dec ease as s uden s become olde .
Acknowledgmen s
none.
E hical app o al
all p ocedu es we e pe o med in acco dance wi h he e hical s anda ds o he ins i u ional esea ch commi ee and
he helsinki Decla a ion o 1964 and i s subsequen amendmen s, o equi alen e hical s anda ds. he s udy was
app o ed by he uni e si y e hics commi ee (no. 2020/07/076) and all pa icipan s ga e hei in o med consen o
ake pa in he s udy.
Disclosu e s a emen
no po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho (s).
Funding
his wo k was unded by he Jun a de comunidades de cas illa-La Mancha and he e DF [ e e ence:
SBpLY/19/180501/000147].
Abou he au ho s
Juan Ca los Pas o -Vicedo has a ph.D. in Spo s Sciences. he wo ks as a lec u e a he uni e si y o cas illa-La
Mancha (albace e). his main esea ch line is ela ed o alen de elopmen and neu oeduca ion.
Ma ía Pila León is phD in physical educa ion. She has a pos doc o al ellowship a he uni e si y o cas illa-La
Mancha. he cu en esea ch mos ly ocuses on child en’s body image, body exp ession, and mo o c ea i i y,
al hough she also con ibu es o esea ch in o he a eas such as ac i e b eaks and gi edness h ough unded
p ojec s.
F ancisco Tomás González-Fe nández as F ancisco cu en ly wo ks as p o esso in he depa men o physical
educa ion and Spo s, Facul y o Spo Sciences. he cu en esea ch in e es s a e: cogni i e pe o mance in spo s,
you h spo s pe o mance, decision-making in spo s and Socce .
Alejand o P ie o-Ayuso has a phD in physical educa ion. he wo ks as a lec u e a he uni e si y o cas illa-La Mancha
(cuenca). his main esea ch line is ela ed o gi ed s uden s in physical educa ion and alen de elopmen in spo s.
ORCID
Juan ca los pas o -Vicedo h p://o cid.o g/0000-0001-5771-6542
Ma ía pila León h p://o cid.o g/0000-0003-1639-0034
F ancisco omás González-Fe nández h p://o cid.o g/0000-0002-1480-7521
alejand o p ie o-ayuso h p://o cid.o g/0000-0002-6228-5473
8 J. c. paS o -ViceDo e aL.
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