ABSTRACT
British children have become progressively more unfit over the past decade (Sandercock et al., 2010). Meanwhile, time dedicated to physical education in British schools is deemed insufficient to increase levels of cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) in young people (Ofsted, 2013). Low levels of CRF have been associated with inferior academic performance (Van Dusen et al., 2011) and cognitive function (Chaddock et al., 2011) in children. Thus far, studies have focused on the independent associations between CRF and cognitive function, with the emphasis on cognitive control (Chaddock et al., 2011), and CRF and academic achievement (Van Dusen et al., 2011). The results from these studies indicate a positive and medium in magnitude association between CRF and children’s scholastic performance. However, the role of cognitive function in the association between CRF and academic achievement has rarely been investigated. Specifically, selective attention has not been considered despite its likely instrumental role in scholastic performance across academic domains (Stevens and Bavelier, 2012). The current study aims to investigate the role of selective attention in the associations between CRF and academic performance in children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
