Dual-Task Performance Reveals Increased Involvement of Executive Control in Fine Motor Sequencing in Healthy Aging

The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of executive control in fine motor sequencing using a motor-cognitive dual-task paradigm. Younger and older adults performed a sequential tapping task separately and concurrently with a semantic judgment task (Experiment 1) and a mental arithm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2010-09, Vol.65B (5), p.526-535
Main Authors: Fraser, Sarah A., Li, Karen Z. H., Penhune, Virginia B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aging
Aging - physiology
Aging - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
Developmental psychology
Dual task
Elderly people
Executive control
Executive Function
Executive Function - physiology
Fine motor sequencing
Fines
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gerontology
Humans
Judgment - physiology
Mental arithmetic
Middle Aged
Motor ability
Older people
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
Task performance
Visual task performance
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of executive control in fine motor sequencing using a motor-cognitive dual-task paradigm. Younger and older adults performed a sequential tapping task separately and concurrently with a semantic judgment task (Experiment 1) and a mental arithmetic task (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 established that under low cognitive load, older adults were slower and less accurate in sequential tapping than younger adults. Load was manipulated in Experiment 2, and across mental arithmetic difficulty levels, older adults were less accurate in sequential tapping when performing mental arithmetic than younger adults. At the highest difficulty level, both groups suffered performance costs. In line with gross motor research, these findings suggest a role for executive functions in fine motor performance in old age.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbq036