Objectives: Multitasking is a challenging aspect of human behavior, especially if the concurrently performed tasks are different in nature. Several studies demonstrated pronounced performance decrements (dual-task costs) in older adults for combinations of cognitive and motor tasks. However, patterns of costs among component tasks differed across studies and reasons for participants' resource allocation strategies remained elusive.
Method: We investigated young and older adults' multitasking of a working memory task and two sensorimotor tasks, one with low (finger force control) and one with high ecological relevance (postural control). The tasks were performed in single-, dual-, and triple-task contexts.
Results: Working memory accuracy was reduced in dual-task contexts with either sensorimotor task and deteriorated further under triple-task conditions. Postural and force performance deteriorated with age and task difficulty in dual-task contexts. However, in the triple-task context with its maximum resource demands, older adults prioritized postural control over both force control and memory.
Discussion: Our results identify ecological relevance as the key factor in older adults' multitasking.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt105 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Hazardous effects of heavy metal pollution on Nile tilapia in the aquatic ecosystem of the Eastern Delta in Egypt.
BMC Vet Res
December 2024
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, 13518, Egypt.
Introduction: Heavy metal pollution threatens the biodiversity and ecological equilibrium of the Nile River. This study investigates the impact of heavy metal pollution on aquatic animals such as Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the Damietta branch of the River Nile and El-Rayah El-Tawfeeky canal in Benha City in Egypt.
Methods: Fish and water samples were collected from the Damietta branch and El-Rayah El-Tawfeeky during the fall of 2022.
Prediction of change in suitable habitats of Senna obtusifolia and Senna tora under climate change.
Sci Rep
December 2024
School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China.
Senna obtusifolia (L.) Irwin & Barneby and Senna tora (L.) Roxb represent important medicinal resources in traditional Chinese medicine for more than two millennia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitochondrial genomes of the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) reveal Pliocene diversification, extensive gene flow and pervasive purifying selection.
Sci Rep
December 2024
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal.
The development of management strategies for the promotion of sustainable fisheries relies on a deep knowledge of ecological and evolutionary processes driving the diversification and genetic variation of marine organisms. Sustainability strategies are especially relevant for marine species such as the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus), a small pelagic fish with high ecological and socioeconomic importance, especially in Southern Europe, whose stock has declined since 2006, possibly due to environmental factors. Here, we generated sequences for 139 mitochondrial genomes from individuals from 19 different geographical locations across most of the species distribution range, which was used to assess genetic diversity, diversification history and genomic signatures of selection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPredicting fine-scale downstream migratory movement of Atlantic salmon smolt (Salmo salar) in front of a hydropower plant.
Sci Rep
December 2024
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Postbox 5685, 7485, Trondheim, Norway.
The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is an iconic species of significant ecological and economic importance. Their downstream migration as smolts represents a critical life-history stage that exposes them to numerous challenges, including passage through hydropower plants. Understanding and predicting fine-scale movement patterns of smolts near hydropower plants is therefore essential for adaptive and effective management and conservation of this species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDissolved oxygen depletion in Chinese coastal waters.
Water Res
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address:
Estuarine and coastal environments have experienced dissolved oxygen (DO hereafter) depression and hypoxia due to increasingly intensified anthropogenic eutrophication and climate warming. This review compared diverse systems in Chinese coastal waters that experience DO depletion or hypoxia, aiming to identify essential aspects in advancing the abilities in comprehensively understanding DO dynamics across systems that span wide ranges of physical and biogeochemical environments. The coastal DO depression and relevant ecological consequences around the world are generally overviewed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!