Factors influencing dynamic prioritization during dual-task walking in healthy young adults

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.

Enhancing Dual-task Learning through Supraposture-first Instruction in Healthy Young Adults

“…Even though the PF and SF groups were equally effective at improving force-matching performance, including reducing the DTE values of force-matching error and variability, the SF group was superior to the PF group in forcematching accuracy in both pre-learning and post-learning phases. The results are in line with previous studies [9,19]. During walking or narrow standing while performing an auditory cognitive task, the reaction time of the cognitive task was much shorter when focusing on the cognitive task than when focusing on posture.…”

“…Similarly, while standing on a platform with feet together and performing a visual spatial memory task, focusing on the memory task caused a shorter response time and did not increase postural sway relative to focusing on the postural balance [10]. This phenomenon implies that posture-first is not an invariant strategy and that attention prioritization is flexible, depending on various individual tasks, and environmental factors [9,11].…”

“…However, some other dual-task studies reported that healthy young adults might better perform by using the supraposture-first strategy instead of posture first strategy. Healthy young adults were asked to walk on a narrow-base while executing an auditory Stroop test [9]. Focusing on the Stroop test caused a faster response to the Stroop test and did not decrease walking speed.…”

The effect of text messaging on reactive balance and the temporal and spatial characteristics of gait

“…However when participants were not given instructions to focus on either texting or gait, they slowed their walking to improve their texting accuracy and speed [11]. The effect that the prioritization of the task has on gait has been studied in other dual task experiments that did not include texting [12,13].…”

The Effect of Cognitive-Task Type and Walking Speed on Dual-Task Gait in Healthy Adults

“…was predicted that walking at a slow walking speed would amplify the effects of DT on gait 4 and cognitive task performance observed at the preferred walking speed. Because task 5 difficulty is thought to influence DT gait performance (Kelly et al, 2013), we also examined 6 whether walking speed affected cognitive task performance and perceived task difficulty 7 during DT gait.…”