Examining Transfer Effects of Dual-Task Training Protocols for a Complex Locomotor Task

ABSTRACT

Training protocols designed to improve dual-task performance of an obstacle crossing and auditory Stroop task (OBS+Stroop) were tested. In Experiment 1, following baseline collection of OBS+Stroop trials, proximally related walking training was performed, and participants were then retested on the OBS+Stroop test. After training, participants adopted a more cautious obstacle crossing strategy, indicating a potentially safer navigation strategy. Transfer effects from distally related training were then examined (Experiment 2); a computer game training paradigm was examined using the same testing protocol as Experiment 1. Computer training demonstrated improved dual-task performance on some measures, but did not induce a more cautious stepping strategy. Results indicate that dual-task training needs to be similar to targeted tasks to yield reliable, positive training outcomes.

Keywords:

• auditory Stroop task
• dual-task training
• obstacle crossing
• proximal training effects
• variable priority training

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank their participants from the University of Guelph student community, all of their laboratory research assistants, and Drs. Allan Adkin and Naseem Al-Aidroos for their input and advice on experimental design and analyses.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge funding for this work provided by National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (grant no. 261854, to Lori Ann Vallis) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program (to Timothy A. Worden).