Cognitive-Motor Interference in an Ecologically Valid Street Crossing Scenario

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Human Factors Engineering
• Gerontology

Background:

• Gait and cognitive processes are linked, with impairments observed during concurrent tasks, especially in older adults.
• The multiple resource model suggests task similarity influences attention distribution and performance deficits.
• Previous research indicates older adults may prioritize gait over concurrent tasks when fall risk is perceived.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate task similarity and prioritization effects on gait and cognitive performance in an ecologically valid virtual reality (VR) simulation.
• To compare multitasking performance between younger and older adults in a realistic street-crossing scenario.
• To assess the applicability of the multiple resource model in real-world settings.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-three younger adults (20-30) and 61 older adults (65-75) participated.
• A virtual street crossing simulation on a manual treadmill was used.
• Participants performed crossing tasks alone or concurrently with visual or auditory typing tasks.

Main Results:

• Both age groups exhibited performance decrements under multitasking conditions, with older adults showing more pronounced deficits.
• Older adults experienced longer crossing initiation times and missed more opportunities.
• Crossing speed and success rates were similar across age groups, but visual multitasking impaired performance more than auditory multitasking.

Conclusions:

• Multitasking impairs both gait and cognitive performance, with age-related differences more evident in ecologically valid settings.
• Task similarity effects were inconsistent, challenging the predictive power of the multiple resource model in real-world simulations.
• Future research should explore age-related multitasking declines and the nuances of cognitive resource allocation in complex environments.