Abstract
Flexible and appropriate allocation of attention resources is important during dual-tasking to achieve task goals while maintaining postural safety. This pilot study aimed to examine the influence of explicit prioritization of attention on the dual-task paradigm by employing two levels of difficulty for the postural tasks and reaction time (RT) tasks in healthy young adults. The task entailed standing on a force platform on two feet or on one foot, attending to posture or RT, and completing a simple or choice RT task. Participants verbally responded "top" as soon as the light cue illuminated. In general, attending to RT produced faster RTs (F(1,19) = 30.9, p < 0.001) and improved center of pressure (COP) Displacement (F(1,19) = 5.1, p < 0.05) and 95% Area Ellipse (F(1,19) = 7.1, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that prioritizing attention away from posture may be beneficial for postural performance when completing a second task.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 100-106 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | International Journal of Neuroscience |
Volume | 125 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Center of pressure
- Dual-task
- Prioritization
- Reaction time
- Task complexity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience