When two athletes meet inside the ropes of the boxing ring to fight, their cognitive systems have to respond as quickly as possible to a manifold of stimuli to assure victory. In the present work, we studied the pre-attentive mechanisms, which form the basis of an athlete’s ability in reacting to an opponent’s punches. Expert boxers, beginner boxers and people with no experience of boxing performed a Simon-like task where they judged the colour of the boxing gloves worn by athletes in attack postures by pressing two lateralised keys. Although participants were not instructed to pay attention to the direction of the punches, beginner boxers’ responses resembled a defence-related pattern, expert boxers’ resembled counterattacks, whereas non-athletes’ responses were not influenced by the unrelated task information. Results are discussed in the light of an expertise-related action simulation account.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a primary school intervention designed to foster fair-play, respect, and inclusion through physical education. Grounded in social learning theory and structural-developmental teaching, the program aimed to enhance students' moral decision-making, social behavior, and physical activity levels. Sixty-four students (aged 9-10 years) participated in the seven-month intervention, which integrated classroom lessons and physical activities. Mixed-methods data collection included validated questionnaires (PAQ-C, FPPEQ, AMDM-Q, RSEQ, PSE) and interviews with students and teachers. Findings revealed significant increases in physical activity levels, particularly in non-active students, alongside enhanced respect, collaboration, and self-esteem. Teachers noted improvements in emotional regulation, self-regulation, and rule adherence. Despite occasional inappropriate behaviors, this study highlights the potential of combining physical education with social-emotional learning strategies to support psychosocial development in primary school children. These results underscore the importance of integrating such programs into educational curricula.

Physical Education (PE) classes are vital for nurturing students' social development and promoting collaboration. This study examined how primary and middle school students perceived PE classes, with a focus on collaboration, well-being and enjoyment, teacher behavior, the inclusion of nondisabled and disabled students, and general class behavior. One-hundred and seventy students (24 primary school and 146 middle school students) were surveyed using a questionnaire. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified seven factors including: well-being, activities for all students, teacher-oriented behavior, collaboration, and attention to students with disabilities. Linear regressions on each identified Factor revealed higher well-being (Factor 1) between primary and middle school students. In addition, the perceived well-being in PE classes and staying together with classmates among younger middle school students was found to be higher than that reported by their older counterparts in middle school. The analysis also revealed that males perceived a higher well-being in PE classes than females. The research underscores that primary and especially middle school PE teachers should promote the well-being of students by creating inclusive and enjoyable PE classes. The PE classes should consider the differences between sexes and the individual differences. Finally, this research lays the foundation for future investigations to refine inclusive PE strategies and improve students' well-being.