Changes in Predictive Task Switching with Age and with Cognitive Load.

ABSTRACT: Predictive control of movement is more efficient than feedback-based control, and is an important skill in everyday life. We tested whether the ability to predictively control movements of the upper arm is affected by age and by cognitive load. A total of 63 participants were tested in two experiments. In both experiments participants were seated, and controlled a cursor on a computer screen by flexing and extending their dominant arm. In Experiment 1, 20 young adults and 20 older adults were asked to continuously change the frequency of their horizontal arm movements, with the goal of inducing an abrupt switch between discrete movements (at low frequencies) and rhythmic movements (at high frequencies). We tested whether that change was performed based on a feed-forward (predictive) or on

SUBMITTER: Levy-Tzedek S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5702656 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature