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The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
Published on: May 3, 2018
Response-optimised training improves learning of a complex motor task and closely related motor tasks
Nisha Maria Prabhu1, Martin Matke2, Nico Lehmann3
1Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute III, Department of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, Zschokkestraße 32, 39104, Magdeburg, Germany.
Experimental Gerontology
|August 6, 2026
Summary
Optimizing exercise difficulty for older adults enhances balance and motor skills. Tailored dynamic balance training (DBT) improved performance and transfer to untrained tasks, supporting personalized interventions for healthy aging.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Motor Learning
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Physical exercise is vital for healthy aging and longevity.
- Optimizing exercise for older adults with cognitive and physical decline is crucial.
- Tailoring exercise difficulty to individual abilities may maximize benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if optimized dynamic balance training (DBT) improves task-specific performance and transfers to untrained motor and cognitive tasks in healthy older adults.
- To compare the effects of optimal (moderate difficulty) versus suboptimal (high or low difficulty) DBT on performance and transfer.
- To explore the relationship between training response and transfer gains.
Main Methods:
- A 6-week randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial involving 30 healthy older adults.
- Participants were assigned to optimal or suboptimal DBT groups, with training difficulty adjusted to individual balance abilities.
- Transfer effects were assessed using cognitive (memory, executive) and motor (untrained DBT variations, other balance tasks) tests pre-, mid-, and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- The optimal DBT group showed significantly higher performance gains in three out of six sessions compared to suboptimal groups, particularly under high task demands.
- Greater improvements in near motor transfer tasks were observed in the optimal group mid- and post-intervention.
- No significant differences in cognitive task improvements were found between groups; however, within-group DBT learning correlated positively with transfer gains.
Conclusions:
- Optimized task difficulty in balance training enhances both task-specific performance and related motor skills in older adults.
- Personalized exercise interventions, by adjusting task difficulty, are effective in maintaining function and independence.
- Further research is needed to explore cognitive transfer effects and optimize interventions for diverse older adult populations.
