Enhancing Executive Control: Attention to Balance, Breath, and the Speed Versus Accuracy Tradeoff

Abstract

Malleability of executive control and its enhancement through yoga training is unclear. In Study 1, participants (yoga group; n = 27, mean = 23.27 years) were tested on executive control tasks pre-and post-8 weeks of yoga training. The training focused on attention to postural control during yoga asanas and respiratory control during pranayamabreathing (30 min each of postural and breath control training, biweekly). Yoga training was assessed via performance ratings as to how well a posture was executed and by examining errors that reflected inattention/failures in postural and breath control. We also explored whether attentional demands on motor and respiratory control were associated with three components of executive control (working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) during nine executive control tasks. Partial correlation results revealed that the three components of executive control might be differentially impacted by postural and breath control and selectively associated with either speed or accuracy (except for cognitive flexibility). Attentional demands influenced the link between postural, breath, and cognitive control. In Study 2, comparisons between a yoga group and a gendermatched control group (control group; n = 27, mean = 23.33 years) pointed toward higher working memory accuracy and a better speed-accuracy tradeoff in inhibitory control in the yoga group. A ceiling-practice effect was addressed by examining yoga practice learning (i.e., practice-induced change in postural and breath control reflected in ratings and errors) on executive control performance across two sets of tasks: repeatedly tested (pre-and post-8 weeks) and non-repeatedly tested (post-8 weeks). Attention to motor and respiratory control during yoga might be considered as a potential mechanism through which specific components of executive control in young adults might be enhanced potentially via altering of speed-accuracy tradeoff.

Role of Cortisol and Testosterone in Risky Decision-Making: Deciphering Male Decision-Making in the Iowa Gambling Task

“…Cortisol regulation in male IGT decision makers might not be malleable to short-term interventions such as breath counting. Similarly, IGT decision-making in uncertainty and risk was unaffected by counting type, and the results align with an earlier observation of male IGT decision-making being non-malleable to short-term interventions ( Singh and Mutreja, 2020 ).…”

Pilot Study of the Effects of Paced Breathing on Measures of Convergent and Divergent Thinking

“…Conversely, one study did find a significant improvement due to breathing technique on cognitive flexibility (Singh and Mutreja, 2020). That study found that breath control, through the yogic practice pranayama, increased the speed of planning and flexibility but not accuracy.…”

Using traditional typologies to understand posture movement and cognitive performance - A cross sectional study

“…Four cognitive tasks from the psychological experiment builder language were used to evaluate spatial and phonological working memory, decision-making, and inhibition. [ 15 ] Moreover, postural assessments were made using the scales developed by Singh and Mutreja. [ 15 ]…”

“…[ 15 ] Moreover, postural assessments were made using the scales developed by Singh and Mutreja. [ 15 ]…”

“…Singh and Mutreja[ 15 ] developed behavioral scales to assess motor performance during yoga postures. Posture accuracy (termed “posture rating”) was assessed with ratings ranging from 0 to 4 where 0 indicates the great difficulty to perform a yoga posture, 1 indicates difficulty, 2 indicates moderate difficulty/ease, 3 indicates ease, and 4 indicates great ease, and posture stability (termed as “posture error frequency”) were assessed with the number of unplanned movements (fall/tripping/loss of balance/deviation from planned posture movement) during the posture holding duration.…”