Initiation of Body Segment Reorientation in Steering is not Altered While Dual Tasking

Changing the direction of locomotion, often referred to as “steering”, is an integral component of human locomotion. This study sought to investigate the role of cognition in steering using a dual task paradigm in healthy young and healthy older adults. Twenty-five healthy young adults and nineteen healthy older adults completed a 900 walking turn at a comfortable pace under single and dual task conditions. Dependent variables included the time taken to turn and the turn onset of the head, trunk, and pelvis segments. Results indicate dual tasking increases the time taken to turn but does not alter the sequence of initiation of segment reorientation into the turn. The effects of aging on these behaviors were minimal. Most notable was that the older adults did not slow their turns as much as the young adults did during dual tasking. These results suggest that initiation of segment reorientation is independent of cognitive influence but that increased cognitive load is considered when planning movement time.