Table 3.

Intervention effects of different quantitative characteristics on executive function

Quantitative characteristics	Categories	Outcome variables	Heterogeneity test		Combined effects test
			I 2	P	SMD	95%CI	Z	P
Cycle	Acute	Inhibitory control	95.9%	< 0.001	-0.886	(-1.400, -0.332)	3.18	0.001
		Working memory	97.0%	< 0.001	-0.753	(-1.524, 0.019)	1.91	0.056
		Cognitive flexibility	96.0%	< 0.001	-0.717	(-1.165, -0.269)	4.00	< 0.001
	Long-term	Inhibitory control	82.9%	< 0.001	-0.612	(-0.890, -0.334)	4.31	< 0.001
		Working memory	89.7%	< 0.001	-0.579	(-0.870, -0.288)	3.90	< 0.001
		Cognitive flexibility	92.9%	< 0.001	-0.075	(-1.524, 0.019)	3.14	0.002
Intensity	Low	Inhibitory control	86.4%	< 0.001	-1.827	(-3.113, -0.540)	2.78	0.005
		Working memory	—	—	-1.649	(-2.248, -1.050)	5.40	< 0.001
		Cognitive flexibility	—	—	0.312	(-0.206, 0.831)	1.18	0.238
	Moderate	Inhibitory control	95.3%	< 0.001	-0.851	(-1.304, -0.399)	3.69	< 0.001
		Working memory	96.3%	< 0.001	-0.892	(-1.433, -0.351)	3.23	0.001
		Cognitive flexibility	94.1%	< 0.001	-1.394	(-1.867, -0.920)	5.77	< 0.001
	Vigorous	Inhibitory control	94.5%	< 0.001	-0.421	(-1.218, 0.375)	1.04	0.300
		Working memory	98.0%	< 0.001	-1.382	(-3.046, 0.281)	1.63	0.103
		Cognitive flexibility	97.3%	< 0.001	-0.992	(-2.367, 0.384)	1.41	0.158