Cognitive and motor task performance under single- and dual-task conditions: effects of consecutive versus concurrent practice

Rainer Beurskens,Thomas Muehlbauer,Dennis Brueckner,Hagen Voigt

doi:10.1007/s00221-021-06130-8

Rainer Beurskens, Thomas Muehlbauer + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06130-8

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Abstract

The concurrent execution of two or more tasks simultaneously results in performance decrements in one or both conducted tasks. The practice of dual-task (DT) situations has been shown to decrease performance decrements. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of consecutive versus concurrent practice on cognitive and motor task performance under single-task (ST) and DT conditions. Forty-five young adults (21 females, 24 males) were randomly assigned to either a consecutive practice (INT consecutive) group, a concurrent practice (INT concurrent) group or a control (CON) group (i.e., no practice). Both INT groups performed 2 days of acquisition, i.e., practicing a cognitive and a motor task either consecutively or concurrently. The cognitive task required participants to perform an auditory stroop task and the number of correct responses was used as outcome measure. In the motor task, participants were asked to stand on a stabilometer and to keep the platform as close to horizontal as possible. The time in balance was calculated for further analysis. Pre- and post-practice testing included performance assessment under ST (i.e., cognitive task only, motor task only) and DT (i.e., cognitive and motor task simultaneously) test conditions. Pre-practice testing revealed no significant group differences under ST and DT test conditions neither for the cognitive nor the motor task measure. During acquisition, both INT groups improved their cognitive and motor task performance. The post-practice testing showed significantly better cognitive and motor task values under ST and DT test conditions for the two INT groups compared to the CON group. Further comparisons between the two INT groups revealed better motor but not cognitive task values in favor of the INT consecutive practice group (ST: p = 0.022; DT: p = 0.002). We conclude that consecutive and concurrent practice resulted in better cognitive (ST condition) and motor (ST and DT test conditions) task performance than no practice. In addition, consecutive practice resulted in superior motor task performance (ST and DT test conditions) compared to concurrent practice and is, therefore, recommended when executing DT practice schedules.

Highlights

The concurrent execution of two or more tasks simultaneously (i.e., performing a cognitive task and a motor tasks; dual-task (DT) condition) results in performance decrements in one or both concurrently conducted tasks in young adultsCommunicated by Melvyn A
No significant differences were found between the INT consecutive practice group and the INT concurrent practice group
No significant differences were observed between the INT consecutive practice group and the INT concurrent practice group

Summary

Introduction

The concurrent execution of two or more tasks simultaneously (i.e., performing a cognitive task and a motor tasks; dual-task (DT) condition) results in performance decrements in one or both concurrently conducted tasks in young adultsCommunicated by Melvyn A. The concurrent execution of two or more tasks simultaneously (i.e., performing a cognitive task and a motor tasks; dual-task (DT) condition) results in performance decrements in one or both concurrently conducted tasks in young adults. Practicing DT situations have previously been shown to decrease these performance decrements during DT conditions in young adults (Pellecchia 2005; Kiss et al 2018; Beurskens et al 2020) and in older adults (Silsupadol et al 2009a, b). Kiss et al (2018) examined the effect of singletask (ST) versus DT practice on dynamic balance control in healthy young adults. Results showed that ST practice resulted in improvements of task performance in the trained domain (i.e., motor or cognitive performance) while DT practice showed an effective modulation of both domains (i.e., DT performance). Similar results were found by Beurskens et al (2020) showing that DT but not ST practice

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