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Cognitive costs in motor-cognitive performance assessments depend on movement complexity and cognitive task design
Gülsa Erdogan1, Lutz Vogt1, Florian Giesche2
1Department of Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
|June 23, 2025
Summary
Motor-cognitive assessments reveal cognitive costs, with reaction times varying based on task complexity. These findings highlight the importance of considering motor-cognitive interactions in performance evaluations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sports Science
- Human Performance
Background:
- Traditional cognitive tests use simple motor responses (e.g., button presses), limiting ecological validity.
- Motor-cognitive interference arises from complex interactions between cognitive and motor skills in real-world scenarios.
- Motor-cognitive assessments integrate complex motor tasks into cognitive tests to improve ecological validity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the cognitive costs associated with motor-cognitive assessments.
- To investigate how different motor responses and test designs impact cognitive performance.
- To determine the relationship between cognitive and motor-cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-three athletes completed four cognitive tests (simple reaction, choice-reaction, working memory, cognitive flexibility) in both cognitive and motor-cognitive settings.
- Motor-cognitive tasks involved stepping movements tracked by a LiDAR system (SKILLCOURT®).
- Cognitive costs were calculated by comparing reaction times and error rates between conditions, controlling for technical and physiological variables.
Main Results:
- Slower reaction times (cognitive costs) were observed in motor-cognitive tests for choice-reaction and working memory tasks.
- Faster reaction times (inverse cognitive costs) occurred in the motor-cognitive condition for the cognitive flexibility test.
- Strong correlations between cognitive and motor-cognitive performance were found for simple-reaction, choice-reaction, and cognitive flexibility tests.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive costs are present in motor-cognitive assessments, influenced by motor response type and test design.
- Motor-cognitive tasks can lead to inverse cognitive costs, where performance improves.
- Results indicate that motor-cognitive assessments offer unique insights and cannot entirely replace traditional computer-based cognitive tests.
