"Introduction: the association between physical and cognitive development relies on the essential role that early motor development has in improving cognitive ability over time. This association highlights the need to explore the relationship between motor skills and cognitive functions (e.g., working memory capacity, attention, and inhibition) and whether the relation is specific to certain categories of motor and cognitive skills. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship among the level of fundamental motor skills (FMS) of both locomotor and object-control skills, verbal short-term memory (STM) and visuospatial short-term memory (STM), and gender. Information regarding ethnicity, BMI, and parents' education level of the participants was collected for exploratory purposes. Method: A cross-sectional study was used to examine the relationship between FMS and verbal STM and visuospatial STM. Sixty-one children aged 9-10 years (boys: n = 28; 45.9% and girls: n = 33; 54.1%) were selected from five regions in Michigan. Two instruments were used to examine the relationship between FMS and verbal STM and visuospatial STM. The level of motor skills development determined by Test of Growth and Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), and the level of verbal STM and visuospatial STM determined by Automated WM Assessment- Second Edition (AWMA). Statistical analyses were based on Chi-Square Test to determine the relationship between FMS and verbal STM and visuospatial STM, and on Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Test to determine the relationship between FMS, verbal STM and visuospatial STM, and gender. simple linear regressions, and multiple linear regressions were used for further iii exploration of the relationship between FMS, verbal STM and visuospatial STM, and covariate variables included (gender, BMI, regions, ethnicity, and mother's and father's education levels). Results: In the level of FMS, boys and girls scored higher in object control skills (43.39± 3.77) than locomotor skills (39.88 ± 4.93). Gender differences were found in the total FMS and object control skills, boys scored higher in the total FMS (86.32± 6.35) and object control skills (45.14± 3.22) than girls. In the level of verbal STM and visuospatial STM, no significant differences were found between boys and girls in any of verbal STM and visuospatial STM and in any of their subcomponents (digit recall, word recall, non-word recall, dot matrix, mazes memory, and block recall). The results of the Pearson's chi-square test showed no strong evidence of a relationship between FMS and verbal STM and visuospatial STM. One-way ANOVA test revealed that there were significant differences in the level of total FMS, F(4) = 2.904, p = .030 and locomotor skills, F(4) = 6.191, p = .000 across regions. The results of Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Test also showed no statistical differences between boys and girls in term of the relationship between FMS and verbal STM and visuospatial STM. The results of the simple linear regressions and multiple linear regressions showed that object control skills was the only independent variables was a statistically significant predictor verbal STM, and region was the only covariate variable statistically significant predictor of verbal STM and visuospatial STM, p < .05. Conclusions: Boys and girls seem to have equal opportunity to develop FMS, especially object control skills, which positively impact their verbal STM. Such improvement in verbal STM provides evidence of the direct link between sub-categories of the FMS and WMC. Region found have a role in children FMS and verbal STM and visuospatial STM development."--Pages ii-iii.
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