{
  "abstract": "Background: Late adolescence is a developmental period in which executive functions are relatively consolidated but remain sensitive to behavioral and environmental influences. Physical activity (PA) has been associated with executive-function outcomes, but the psychological factors that may be related to this association remain unclear. Objective: This study examined whether PA_total was associated with a reaction-time-based executive-function composite (EF_RT) through intrusive rumination (IR) and deliberate rumination (DR), and whether mindfulness moderated the PA_total → IR and IR → EF_RT associations. Methods: Late adolescents (N = 450; 266 males; aged 17–19 years) completed measures of PA, rumination, and mindfulness. EF_RT was derived from standardized RT-based indicators from computerized Flanker, 2-back, and More–Odd Shifting tasks. Lower EF_RT values indicate better RT-based task performance. Structural equation models were used to test parallel indirect associations and observed-variable interaction terms, with gender included as a covariate. Bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples was used to estimate indirect and conditional indirect associations. Results: PA_total showed significant positive total and direct associations with EF_RT, indicating that higher PA_total was associated with higher RT-based scores, that is, slower or less efficient RT-based task performance. Significant indirect associations were observed through both IR and DR. Mindfulness moderated the PA_total → IR and IR → EF_RT associations, and the conditional indirect association through IR varied across levels of mindfulness. Because EF_RT is a reaction-time-based composite, positive coefficients involving EF_RT indicate higher RT-based scores, reflecting longer reaction times or larger RT costs, rather than better EF ability. Conclusions: PA_total, rumination, mindfulness, and EF_RT were interrelated in late adolescents. The findings should be interpreted as cross-sectional associations involving RT-based executive-function performance, including an unexpected positive PA_total–EF_RT association indicating slower or less efficient RT-based performance, rather than as evidence of causal effects on EF ability.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute of Sports Science, Nantong University, Nantong, China",
    "Department of Physical Education, Dankook University, Yongin, South Korea",
    "Department of Physical Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China",
    "College of Physical Education, Dalian University, Dalian, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0
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      "name": "Shimeng Wang"
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    {
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        1
      ],
      "name": "Mingyang Lu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yang Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Bochun Lu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yiwen Zhou"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shipeng Ding"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7efndvt3fgeaz.bib",
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  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357384",
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  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357384&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
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  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
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  "title": "Physical activity and executive function in adolescents: Dual rumination pathways and mindfulness moderation",
  "title_text": "Physical activity and executive function in adolescents: Dual rumination pathways and mindfulness moderation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:02Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7efndvt3fgeaz",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
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