Article

Previous research has suggested that articulatory demands are important
predictors of the impact of dual-task interference on spatial-temporal parameters
of gait. In this study, we evaluated the effects of word length, oral-motor
movement, articulation, and lexicality, within a verbal task,
on a continuous
gait task. Fifteen healthy young women participated in a study in which two word
lengths (monosyllabic and bisyllabic) were crossed with four levels of secondary
task complexity (no dual-task, non-speech movement, spoken non-word, and spoken
word). Spatial and temporal parameters of gait were measured using a 23'
instrumented carpet. Results indicated a significant multivariate main effect for
task type, F(15, 120)=3.07, that explained 71.1% of the demonstrated variability
in gait. Univariate analyses of this main effect revealed statistically
significant effects for velocity, step time, swing time, and stance time, but no
statistically significant effect for step length. Post hoc analyses suggested
that dual-task interference produced significant changes in the parameters of
gait, but that this interference was not significantly greater with non-words as
compared to the non-speech movement condition, nor was it significantly greater
with words as compared to non-words. The results of this systematic
deconstruction of a simple verbal task suggest that the motor component of a
secondary speech task may produce the largest amount of interference within a
dual-task interference paradigm.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS