Attentional demands of motor tasks with varying complexity

With ageing, everyday functioning suffers from age-associated changes in physical and cognitive functioning. One of the abilities impacted by age-related cognitive decline is divided attention (Frasel et al., 2013). Dual-task paradigms have been used to assess the attentional demands of motor tasks and to identify individuals at risk for falls (Beauchet et al., 2005). Previous studies mainly focused on gait. However, other activities, which also pose great risk for falls and associated injuries, have been investigated less. The present study compared combined motor and cognitive performance during mobility tasks with varying compelxity: straight gait, stair negotiation, sit-to-stand transition (StS), a 180° turn, and turn-to-sit transition (TtS) between young and older adults