Influência da demanda atencional e instrução no teste levantar, caminhar e sentar

Abstract

Abstract: The activities of standing, walking and sitting performed in association with other tasks (e.g., holding an object) are very common in our everyday lives. The performance of these concurrent tasks may require greater attentional demand. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the performance of young healthy adults on the "Timed Up and Go" (TUG) test on the dual task paradigm. Twelve young adults performed the TUG test in four conditions: a) no secondary task; b) with a task of holding a tube with both hands without defined attentional focus; c) holding the tube with internal attentional focus (i.e., minimize the hands motion); and, d) holding the tube with external attentional focus (i.e., minimize the movement of a light from a laser pointer fixed to the tube which reflected on a target placed on the wall). A digital chronometer was used to record the time taken to complete the tests. The time spent in the conditions with secundary task relative to the original TUG test was also analyzed. The movement variability of the tube was assessed by recording the kinematics of markers placed on the lateral side of the tube. Analyses of variance were used to compare the total and relative time and tube variability across conditions. More time was necessary to complete the TUG test when specific instruction about the secondary task was given, mainly when related to the movement of the tube (external focus). However, the variability of the tube was also smallest in that condition. Therefore, the addition of a secondary task (holding a tube) affects the performance of TUG only when specific instructions on the attentional focus are given in particular about external effects of the secondary task.Key Words: Time up and Go test, dual task, attentional focus, secondary tasks.