Table 2.

Cognitive measurements and executive function outcomes

Study	Cognitive measurements	Executive function outcomes	Reported effect sizes	Calculated d for PPC1 and RM2
Bradley et al. (2010)	California High School Exit Exam, California Standard Test	Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl: ns	Missing
de Bruin et al. (2016)	Attention (Attention Control Scale) Executive functioning (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult version, BRIEF-A)	Pre–post: ↑ attention ↑ executive functioning	Cohen’s d = 0.16 Cohen’s d = 0.19	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2\mathrm{M}\mathrm{M}}$ 3 =  − 0.08 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2\mathrm{P}\mathrm{E}}$ 4 =  − 0.22
Ginsberg et al. (2010)	Inhibition (Go-NoGo) Memory (Digit Span: WAIS) Verbal memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test-RAVLT)	Pre–post: $\downarrow$ commissions on Go-No Go $\uparrow$ working memory	Missing
Groeneveld et al. (2019)5	Attention (Full Scale Response Control Quotient (FRCQ); Full Scale Attention Quotient (FAQ))	Pre–post: FRCQ (adults) ns $\uparrow$ FAQ (adults)	Cohen’s d = 0.36 Cohen’s d = 0.51
Groeneveld et al. (2019)	Attention (FRCQ; FAQ)	Pre–post: $\uparrow$ FRCQ (children) FAQ(children) ns	Cohen’s d = 0.34 Cohen’s d = 0.19
Jester et al. (2019)	Cognitive flexibility (Trail Making Test A/B) Inhibition (Stroop)	Pre–post: $\uparrow$ TMT/A TMT/B: ns Stroop: ns	Cohen’s d = 1 Cohen’s d = 0.43 Cohen’s d = 0.14
Kenien (2015)	Executive functioning (BRIEF) Inhibition Working memory Cognitive flexibility	Pre–post Exp: ns Pre–post Ctrl: ns	Missing	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$=  − 0.01 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$ = 0.08 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$ =  − 0.21
Kim et al. (2013)	Attention (FAQ) Problem solving (Halstead Category Test (HCT)) Executive functioning (BRIEF-A)	Pre–post: ns	Missing
Lee and Finkelstein (2015)	Psychomotor vigilance task (PVT)	Pre–post: $\downarrow$ performance RT		$d_{\mathrm{r}\mathrm{m}}$=  − 0.31
May et al. (2019)	Attention (serial subtraction task)	Pre–post Exp6 vs. Ctrl: $\downarrow$ math errors	${\eta }_{\mathrm{p}}^2=0.090$	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2\mathrm{C}\mathrm{T}\mathrm{R}\mathrm{L}}$=  − 3.62 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2\mathrm{H}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{T}}$ 7 =  − 1.32
Pop-Jordanova and Chakalaroska (2008)	Flexibility (Trail Making Test A/B) Working memory (Wechsler MemoryScale-R) Numbering forward Numbering backward	Pre–post8: ns Modest improvement for numbers forward ns	Missing
Prinsloo et al. (2011)	Inhibition (modified Stroop task)	Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl: $\uparrow$ performance RT $\downarrow$ errors	Missing	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$=  − 0.85
Raaijmakers et al. (2013)	Working memory (N-back) Cognitive flexibility (mental rotation task)	Pre–post Exp: $\uparrow$ performance RT $\downarrow$ errors Pre–post Ctrl: $\uparrow$ performance RT $\downarrow$ errors	Missing
Rusciano et al. (2017)	Attention (visual search task) Inhibition (Stroop)	Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl: $\uparrow$ performance RT: target absent Target present ns $\uparrow$ accuracy congruent $\uparrow$ accuracy incongruent	${\eta }_{\mathrm{p}}^2=0.45$ ${\eta }_{\mathrm{p}}^2=0.06$ ${\eta }_{\mathrm{p}}^2=0.22$ ${\eta }_{\mathrm{p}}^2=0.40$	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2.\mathrm{a}\mathrm{b}\mathrm{s}}$=  − 1.45 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2.\mathrm{p}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{s}}$ =  − 0.45 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2.\mathrm{c}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{n}}$ = 2.52 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2.\mathrm{i}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{c}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{n}}$ = 3.09
Schumann et al. (2019)	Impulsivity (stop-signal task)	Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl: GoRT ns SSRT ns	Missing	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$=  − 0.17 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$ =  − 0.97
Sherlin et al. (2010)	Inhibition (Stroop errors; modified Stroop task)	Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl: ns	Cohen’s d = 0.29	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$=  − 0.21
Sutarto et al. (2013)	Attention (test d2) Memory (Sternberg memory test) Inhibition (Stroop)	Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl: $\uparrow$ attention $\uparrow$ memory Pre–post Exp: $\uparrow$ interference score	Missing	$d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$= 0.68 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$ =  − 0.63 $d_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}2}$ =  0.33

Arrows show the direction of the outcome measure. Upward arrows show an increase of the outcome measure, and downward arrows show a decrease of the outcome measure. “Pre–post Exp vs. Ctrl” refers to an interaction effect where the experimental group saw greater significant change following the intervention than the control group. “Pre–post” refers to a significant change following the intervention where the experimental group was not opposed to a control group (single group design or different comparison groups). “Pre–post Exp” and “Pre–post Ctrl” refers to a main effect of time for the experimental group following the intervention and for the control group not assigned to the intervention. “Post Exp vs. Ctrl” refers to a significant main effect of the experimental group compared to the control group after the intervention

¹PPC: d_ppc2 effect sizes for pre-test–post-test control group designs calculated according to Morris (2008)

²RM: Cohen’s d_rm effect sizes for repeated measures for within-subjects designs (Lakens, 2013)

³Mindfulness meditation

⁴Physical exercise

⁵This study appears in two entries to separate the EF outcomes of the two subgroups (adults and children)

⁶p < .05 HRV-BF vs. control

⁷High-intensity interval training

⁸p < .05 HRV-BF pre-test vs. HRV-BF post-test (< .05 EEG-PAT pre-test vs. EEG-PAT post-test for numbers forward and numbers backward; no change for EDR condition)