Threat-induced changes in attention during tests of static and anticipatory postural control

Abstract

Postural threat, manipulated through changes in surface height, influences postural control. Evidence suggests changes in attention may contribute to this relationship. However, limited research has explored where and how attention is reallocated when threatened. The primary aim of this study was to describe changes in attention when presented with a postural threat, while a secondary aim was to explore associations between changes in attention and postural control. Eighty-two healthy young adults completed tests of static (quiet standing) and anticipatory (rise to toes) postural control under threatening and non-threatening conditions. Participants completed an open-ended questionnaire after each postural task which asked them to list what they thought about or directed their attention toward. Each item listed was assigned a percentage value reflecting how much attention it occupied. Exit interviews were completed to help confirm where attention was directed. Five attention categories were identified: movement processes, threat-relevant stimuli, self-regulatory strategies, task objectives, and task-irrelevant information. For both postural tasks, the percentage values and number of items listed for movement processes, threat-relevant stimuli, and self-regulatory strategies increased under threatening compared to non-threatening conditions, while the percentage values and number of items listed for task objectives and task-irrelevant information decreased. Changes in attention related to movement processes and self-regulatory strategies were associated with changes in static postural control, while changes in attention related to threat-relevant stimuli were associated with changes in anticipatory postural control. These results suggest that threat-induced changes in attention are multidimensional and contribute to changes in postural control.