title: Motor skills in kindergarten: Internal structure, cognitive correlates and relationships to background variables.
abstract: The present study aimed to contribute to the discussion about the relation between motor coordination and executive functions in preschool children. Specifically, the relation between gross and fine motor skills and executive functions as well as the relation to possible background variables (SES, physical activity) were investigated. Based on the data of N=156 kindergarten children the internal structure of motor skills was investigated and confirmed the theoretically assumed subdivision of gross and fine motor skills. Both, gross and fine motor skills correlated significantly with executive functions, whereas the background variables seemed to have no significant impact on the executive functions and motor skills. Higher order control processes are discussed as an explanation of the relation between executive functions and motor skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Hochschulzentrum vonRoll, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: nicole.oberer@psy.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oberer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Hochschulzentrum vonRoll, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: venera.gashaj@psy.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Venera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gashaj
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern, Hochschulzentrum vonRoll, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: claudia.roebers@psy.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Claudia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Roebers
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Executive functions; Fine motor skills; Gross motor skills; Physical activity