The Effects of Task Difficulty and Vision during Dual-Motor Tasking on Gait in Young and Older Adults
Advisor Information
Jennifer Yentes
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-3-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
4-3-2016 4:00 PM
Abstract
Many adults have difficulty doing two things at once, especially walking and completing another motor task. In older adults, this could lead to a fall. Further, falls during walking have been associated with changes in gait variability or the natural stride-to-stride fluctuations while walking. The aging process contributes to a more variable gait cycle, which has been used to predict falls as well as contribute to their occurrence. This project aims to investigate the effect of task difficulty and vision during dual-motor tasking on gait variability in younger and older healthy adults. This study will involve a series of dual-task conditions, three minutes each, where the opaqueness of a tray (vision) and amount of water in four glasses on top of the tray (task difficulty) will vary while the participants walk on a self-paced treadmill. The participants consist of 15 younger adults, ages 19-35 years, and 15 older adults, ages 65 years and older. The conditions will test the role of vision, attention, and task complexity during dual-task paradigms. For each condition: step length, step time, step width, speed and position of the tray will be calculated for each condition. Group means for each dependent variable will be used in a 2x3 repeated measures ANOVA (group x condition). Nonlinear measures will be used to study the changes in gait variability that occurs across conditions as well as between younger and older adults. Preliminary data from this project will be presented.
The Effects of Task Difficulty and Vision during Dual-Motor Tasking on Gait in Young and Older Adults
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Many adults have difficulty doing two things at once, especially walking and completing another motor task. In older adults, this could lead to a fall. Further, falls during walking have been associated with changes in gait variability or the natural stride-to-stride fluctuations while walking. The aging process contributes to a more variable gait cycle, which has been used to predict falls as well as contribute to their occurrence. This project aims to investigate the effect of task difficulty and vision during dual-motor tasking on gait variability in younger and older healthy adults. This study will involve a series of dual-task conditions, three minutes each, where the opaqueness of a tray (vision) and amount of water in four glasses on top of the tray (task difficulty) will vary while the participants walk on a self-paced treadmill. The participants consist of 15 younger adults, ages 19-35 years, and 15 older adults, ages 65 years and older. The conditions will test the role of vision, attention, and task complexity during dual-task paradigms. For each condition: step length, step time, step width, speed and position of the tray will be calculated for each condition. Group means for each dependent variable will be used in a 2x3 repeated measures ANOVA (group x condition). Nonlinear measures will be used to study the changes in gait variability that occurs across conditions as well as between younger and older adults. Preliminary data from this project will be presented.