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Dual-task performance in right- and left-handed adults: a finger-tapping and foot-tapping study
M K Fearing1, C A Browning, D M Corey
1Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|May 22, 2001
Summary
Verbal interference impacts finger-tapping differently in right and left handers, affecting right finger-tapping negatively and left finger-tapping positively. Foot-tapping shows a bilateral decrease in rate for both groups when speaking.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- The dual-task paradigm is widely used to investigate cerebral laterality, particularly how concurrent verbalization affects motor tasks.
- Previous research on left-handers using this paradigm yielded inconsistent results regarding interference patterns.
- The dual-task paradigm has not been extensively applied to study concurrent verbalization and foot-tapping interference.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether verbal interference differentially affects finger- and foot-tapping rates in right-handed versus left-handed individuals.
- To explore potential differences in motor control and cerebral organization between hands and feet under dual-task conditions.
Main Methods:
- 12 right-handed and 12 left-handed men with uncrossed hand and foot dominance participated.
- Subjects performed isolated finger-tapping and foot-tapping tasks, as well as concurrent verbalization tasks.
- Interference effects on tapping rates were analyzed in relation to handedness.
Main Results:
- A significant relationship existed between handedness and isolated tapping rates, with stronger hand preference correlating with higher ipsilateral tapping speed.
- Concurrent verbalization led to an asymmetric interference effect on finger-tapping: a decrease in right-hand tapping rate and a facilitation of left-hand tapping rate in both right and left handers.
- Foot-tapping exhibited a bilateral decrement in rate under verbal interference for both handedness groups.
Conclusions:
- Verbal interference demonstrates distinct effects on finger-tapping (asymmetric) and foot-tapping (bilateral decrement) in both right and left handers.
- Findings suggest differential cerebral organization and integration of motor representations for hands and feet, particularly in relation to language lateralization.
- The study highlights unique interference patterns that may inform our understanding of hemispheric specialization for motor control.