Abstract
Various arrangements of both physical structures and contingent adult attention have been shown to increase physical activity. As well, previous research has demonstrated that antecedent physical activity during leisure time leads to subsequent on-task behavior in classroom settings (Luke et al., 2014). This relation between activity and academic performance suggests that identifying methods for increasing physical activity exhibited by students has academic relevance. The present study conducted two related, concurrent experiments. Experiment 1 replicated previous research showing social attention increased students’ physical activity. Given the increases in physical activity observed by the participants from Experiment 1, Experiment 2 evaluated whether that increased physical activity corresponded with increased on-task behavior during subsequent academic instruction time. Results indicated that, as with previous research findings, participants engaged in higher levels of physical activity relative to baseline when social attention was provided. However, increased physical activity did not correspond with increased subsequent on-task behavior. Results are discussed with respect to their implications for movement, academic performance, and relation to previous findings.