1. Factors influencing dynamic prioritization during dual-task walking in healthy young adults.
- Author
-
Kelly VE, Eusterbrock AJ, and Shumway-Cook A
- Subjects
- Adult, Attention, Female, Humans, Male, Postural Balance, Reaction Time, Young Adult, Cognition, Gait, Psychomotor Performance, Walking physiology
- Abstract
Appropriate prioritization during dual-task walking is necessary to achieve task goals and maintain walking stability. We examined the effects of increased walking task difficulty on dual-task walking prioritization in healthy young adults. Walking under simple usual-base conditions was similar between equal-focus and cognitive-focus instructions, but these differed from walking-focus instructions, consistent with cognitive task prioritization. In contrast, narrow-base walking was similar between equal-focus and walking-focus instructions, but these differed from cognitive-focus instructions. This shift in prioritization with increasing walking task difficulty suggests that prioritization is dynamic and flexible., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2013
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