Concurrent Performance of a Cognitive and Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance Task: Influence of Dual-Task Training
- 28 April 2014
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Journal of Motor Behavior
- Vol. 46 (5), 357-368
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00222895.2014.914887
Abstract
The performance of 2 or more attention demanding tasks simultaneously is poorly understood. The purpose of the study was to investigate optimal practice strategies for performing 2 simultaneous tasks. Eighteen young adults walked and stepped over either a static or dynamic obstacle, while responding to an auditory Stroop test. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: one that practiced both tasks simultaneously, practiced only the cognitive task, or received no practice. Results indicate that only the dual-task practice group showed significantly more improvement in the locomotor task through reduced variability of gait velocity, obstacle clearance, and takeoff distance. Findings demonstrate that the practice of two concurrent, attention demanding tasks results in the best performance improvement for both tasks.Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Walking while talking: Investigation of alternate formsGait & Posture, 2012
- fNIRS Study of Walking and Walking While Talking in Young and Old IndividualsThe Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 2011
- Age-related differences in locomotor targeting performance under structural interferenceAge and Ageing, 2011
- Effects of muscle fatigue on gait characteristics under single and dual-task conditions in young and older adultsJournal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2010
- Effects of instructed focus and task difficulty on concurrent walking and cognitive task performance in healthy young adultsExperimental Brain Research, 2010
- Adult Age Differences and the Role of Cognitive Resources in Perceptual–Motor Skill Acquisition: Application of a Multilevel Negative Exponential ModelThe Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2010
- Age-related differences in dual task walking: a cross sectional studyJournal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2008
- Effects of a secondary task on obstacle avoidance in healthy young adultsExperimental Brain Research, 2007
- Locomotor Patterns of the Leading and the Trailing Limbs as Solid and Fragile Obstacles are Stepped over: Some Insights into the Role of Vision During LocomotionJournal of Motor Behavior, 1996
- Exploring the Central ExecutiveThe Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A, 1996