The association of motor competence and executive function across primary school years

Motor competence and executive function (i.e., top-down control of behavior) have been suggested to co-develop due to shared neural substrates. However, components of executive function show different developmental trajectories, so that it remains unclear how age affects interrelations between both domains. We therefore investigated the strength and stability of the association between motor competence and components of executive function across cohorts representing different grades. 400 Swiss girls and boys attending grades 1 (7 y) to 5 (11 y) completed age-appropriate versions of the MOBAK test battery to assess motor competence. Additionally, we administered a modified Flanker task including both standard and switching blocks as well as an N-back task to examine inhibitory control, task-switching and working memory. Path-analysis including all participants revealed a low to moderate association between motor competence and all components of executive function. However, the strength and stability of the association differed across grade levels. Higher motor competence was consistently related to better inhibitory control in all subgroups, but its association with task-switching and working memory was limited to specific grade levels. In conclusion, the association between motor competence and inhibitory control is characterized by stability across the first five school grades, whereas the association with its separable components follows a non-linear trend. This provides an indication that motor competence interventions have the potential to influence executive function components differently depending on the developmental period.