Effects of Exergaming on Cognitive Functions in Young Athleten
Conditions
Keywords
Exergaming, Cognitive Functions, Young athletes, Training
Brief summary
Competitive game sports require the existence of several sport-specific skills. In particular, game sport athletes need a good set of skills in order to perform well on the field. Therefore, it is important for athletes, especially young athletes, not only perform their sport, but also perform variable trainings, which differently train/trigger sport-specific skills. One skill set that is important in competitive game sports are so-called executive functions. Executive functions are needed for action planning and adaptation to the individual environmental situation, e.g. inhibition, flexibility and divided attention. A form of training that is very promising in this respect is exergaming as nowadays coaches are using virtual reality simulations to create realistic training environments. An exergame that combines this cognitive stimulation with whole-body movements in a motivating training environment is the ExerCube. Until now, however, evidence is lacking how an additional holistic exergame training can influence executive functioning in young athletes. Therefore, this study aims to get preliminary insight into the effects of the ExerCube performance on the executive function in young athletes (primary objective). The participants will be allocated into either the intervention group (ExerCube training) or the control group (no additional ExerCube training). The intervention group will train 2 times per week for about 30 minutes over a time frame of 10 weeks. Additionally, to consider the effects of the training environment, the secondary objectives include training motivation, enjoyment and flow as well as mental well-being.
Interventions
OTHERExergame Training
An exergame combines exercise and gaming in a holistic approach.
Sponsors
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
15 Years to 20 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Female and male * Age between 15 to 20 years * Young athletes (game sports) * Healthy (self-reported) * Able to provide written informed consent and understand instructions
Exclusion criteria
* History of cardiovascular issue that would prevent training participation * Asthma (not controllable) * Musculosceletal injuries that would prevent training participation * Pain that would be reinforced by sportive activities * Pregnancy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FitLight | Before and after the intervention, within two weeks | FitLight Trainer™ (Sports Corp. Ontario, Canada) is a commercially available product and consists of eight LED powered lights controlled by a wireless connection via a tablet. The tablet is running on android version 4.2.2 and has in advance a FitLight Trainer™ software to interact with the lights. With this software, it is possible to generate new specific light sequences.The FitLight allow the testing of executive functions depending on the programmed sequences. The participants use whole-body movements of arms and legs to solve the programmes sequences. Before the participants execute the main test, they perform a pre-test to minimize the learning effect and to get familiar with the test environment |
| Test for Attentional Performance | Before and after the intervention, within two weeks | Initially the TAP (D-TAP 2.3 VL, PSYTEST, Psychologische Testsysteme, Herzogenrath, Germany) was developed to assess attentional deficits in a cerebral impaired population. The participants perform a simple reaction task.The stimuli are presented on a screen of a personal computer. Before the participants execute the main test, they perform a pre-test to minimize the learning effect and to get familiar with the test environment. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Situation Motivation Scale | Before and after the intervention, within two weeks | The Situation Motivation Scale was designed to assess the constructs of intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation and amotivation in field and laboratory settings. \- 16 items graded on a 7-point Likert scale, a higher score means a better outcome |
| Flow Short Scale | Before and after the intervention, within two weeks | The first 10 items measure the components of Flow-Experience as first described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 1975. The items 11 - 13 measure Worry someone may have in the situation the measurement is made. \- 13 items graded on a 7-point Likert scale, Item 1-10: a higher score means a better outcome, Item 11-13: a lower score means a better outcome |
| Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale | Before and after the intervention, within two weeks | The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale was developed to measure physical activity enjoyment using college-aged students. The scale is a reliable and valid measure of enjoyment in physical activity environments. \- 18 bipolar statements and a 7-point continuum, a higher score means a better outcome |
| Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale | Before and after the intervention, within two weeks | This mental well-being scale is a valid measurement at a population and on an individual level. The questionnaire consists of 14 items and covers following aspects of mental health: positive affect (feelings of optimism, cheerfulness, and relaxation), satisfying interpersonal relationships, positive functioning (energy, clear thinking, self-acceptance, personal development, competence and autonomy). A minimum score of 14 and a maximum score of 70 can be achieved, whereas a score from 51 can be assumed normal. The higher the score is, the higher the level of mental well-being. |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed