Reciprocal Influences of Attentional Focus on Postural and Supra-Postural Task Performance

The role of visual attention in task performance has been extensively debated. On the basis of the dimensional-action model, we hypothesized that a major role of attention is to transfer response decisions from targets on which it is focused to high-level centers dealing with response execution. This hypothesis predicts that response decisions for two targets will interact only when attention is focused on both targets, and only when the response to the targets is defined by different dimensions. Three experiments, using the redundancy-gain paradigm, tested and confirmed this prediction. Experiment 1 showed that coactivation of two cross-dimensional targets occurred only when the targets were positioned in the same location, not when they were in separate locations. Experiment 2 manipulated the focus of attention and showed that coactivation can occur even for targets positioned in different locations if they are both within the attentional focus. Experiment 3 showed that this attention-induced coactivation does not occur for targets from the same dimensional module. These results suggest that a major role of attention is postperceptual and involves gating of selected responses to executive functions.

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The Effects of Practice on the Concurrent Performance of a Speech and Postural Task in Persons with Parkinson Disease and Healthy Controls

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2013/987621 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

K. Bo Foreman ◽

Stuart Sondrup ◽

Christopher Dromey ◽

Eon Jarvis ◽

Shawn Nissen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Parkinson Disease ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Balance Training ◽

Young Group ◽

Concurrent Performance ◽

Dual Task Performance ◽

Postural Task ◽

Better Than

Purpose. Persons with Parkinson disease (PD) demonstrate deficits in motor learning as well as bidirectional interference (the performance of one task concurrently interferes with the performance of another task) during dual-task performance. Few studies have examined the practice dosages necessary for behavioral change in rehabilitation relevant tasks. Therefore, to compare the effects of age and PD on motor learning during dual-task performance, this pilot study examined persons with PD as well as neurologically healthy participants during concurrent performance of postural and speaking tasks.Methods. Seven persons with PD and 7 healthy age-matched and 10 healthy young control subjects were tested in a motion capture facility. Task performances were performed concurrently and recorded during 3 time periods (acquisition (beginning and ending), 48-hour retention, and 1-week retention). Postural control and speech articulatory acoustic variables were measured.Results. Healthy young participants consistently performed better than other groups on all measured postural and speech variables. Healthy young participants showed decreased variability at retention, while persons with PD and healthy age-matched controls were unable to consistently improve their performance as a result of practice. No changes were noted in the speech variables.Conclusion. The lack of consistent changes in motor performance in any of the tasks, except in the healthy young group, suggests a decreased efficiency of motor learning in the age-matched and PD groups and argues for increased practice dosages during balance training.

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A validation of neural co-activation as a measure of attentional focus in a postural task

Gait & Posture ◽

10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.09.001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 50 ◽

pp. 229-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Toby J. Ellmers ◽

Guilherme Machado ◽

Thomson Wai-Lung Wong ◽

Frank Zhu ◽

A. Mark Williams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attentional Focus ◽

Co Activation ◽

Postural Task

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Improved Dynamic Postural Task Performance without Improvements in Postural Responses: The Blessing and the Curse of Dopamine Replacement

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2012/692150 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

K. B. Foreman ◽

C. Wisted ◽

O. Addison ◽

R. L. Marcus ◽

P. C. LaStayo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Task Performance ◽

Fall Risk ◽

Medication Treatment ◽

Postural Responses ◽

Significant Difference ◽

And Performance ◽

Functional Gait ◽

Dynamic Postural Task ◽

Postural Task

Introduction. Dopamine-replacement medications may improve mobility while not improving responses to postural challenges and could therefore increase fall risk. The purpose of this study was to measure reactive postural responses and gait-related mobility of patients with PD during ON and OFF medication conditions.Methods. Reactive postural responses to the Pull Test and performance of the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) were recorded from 15 persons with PD during ON and OFF medication conditions.Results. Persons with PD demonstrated no significant difference in the reactive postural responses between medication conditions but demonstrated significantly better performance on the FGA when ON medications compared to OFF.Discussion/Conclusion. Dopamine-replacement medications alone may improve gait-related mobility without improvements in reactive postural responses and therefore could result in iatrogenic increases in fall risk. Rehabilitation providers should be aware of the side effects and limitations of medication treatment and implement interventions to improve postural responses.

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Short article: Distractor interference in focused attention tasks is not mediated by attention capture

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1080/17470210902811223 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 62 (9) ◽

pp. 1685-1695 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Nurit Gronau ◽

Asher Cohen ◽

Gershon Ben-Shakhar

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Attentional Focus ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Focused Attention ◽

Interference Effects ◽

Distractor Interference ◽

Short Article ◽

Significant Information ◽

Attention Tasks

Distractor stimuli possessing information that is relevant for a task (henceforth, task-relevant distractors) often interfere with task performance. The interference by task-relevant distractors is observed even when distractors are positioned outside the main attentional focus. We investigated whether such interference is due to an attention capture by the distractors. Participants responded to a target colour while ignoring word distractors positioned within (Experiment 1) or outside (Experiments 2 and 3) the attentional focus. The words carried task-relevant information in their colour and personally significant information in their content. Because personally significant information affects performance only when positioned in an attended region, it was used as a marker for the locus of the attentional focus. As expected, when distractors were attended, both task-relevant and personally significant information affected performance. However, when distractors were unattended, only task-relevant information caused interference, suggesting that attention did not shift to the distractors’ location. We discuss possible accounts for interference effects in focused-attention tasks.

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Examination of Visual Information as a Mediator of External Focus Benefits

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.35.3.250 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 250-259 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

William M. Land ◽

Gershon Tenenbaum ◽

Paul Ward ◽

Christian Marquardt

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Visual Information ◽

Attentional Focus ◽

Focus Of Attention ◽

Movement Variability ◽

Variability Analysis ◽

External Focus ◽

Movement Effect ◽

Cognitive Perspectives

Attunement to visual information has been suggested to mediate the performance advantage associated with adopting an external focus of attention (e.g., Al-Abood, Bennett, Moreno Hernandez, Ashford, & Davids, 2002; Magill, 1998). We tested this hypothesis by examining the extent to which online visual information underpins the external focus advantage. The study examined skilled golfers on a putting task under one of three attentional focus conditions: control (no instructions), irrelevant (tone counting), and external (movement effect focus), with either full or occluded vision. In addition to task performance, the effect of attentional focus and vision on between-trial movement variability was examined. We found a significant advantage for an external focus of attention in the absence of vision. The results of the movement variability analysis further indicated that external focus was not mediated by the online use of vision. We discuss these findings in the context of traditional cognitive perspectives to external focus effects.

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Efectos de la auto-selección del foco de atención durante el aprendizaje de una tarea de control postural (Effect of self-selection of the attentional focus during a postural control task learning)

Retos ◽

10.47197/retos.v37i37.70875 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 93-99

Author(s):

Brenda Arce-Cifuentes ◽

Alejandro Bas-Cerdá ◽

Xavier Garcia-Masso

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Task ◽

Attentional Focus ◽

Focus Of Attention ◽

Cognitive Tasks ◽

Lateral Direction ◽

Self Selection ◽

Post Test ◽

The Impact ◽

Postural Task ◽

Selection Of

El objetivo principal de este estudio es analizar el efecto de la auto-selección del foco de atención sobre el aprendizaje de una tarea motriz. Cuarenta participantes se distribuyeron en cuatro grupos en función del foco de atención (en la tarea motriz o cognitiva) y la selección del foco (auto-selección o imposición). Todos los sujetos realizaron un pre-test, práctica, post-test y retención (24 horas después). Durante los test solo realizaron una tarea de equilibrio sobre una plataforma que generaba inestabilidad en el eje medio-lateral. Sin embargo, durante la práctica todos realizaron la tarea de equilibrio junto con una tarea cognitiva de memoria de trabajo. El grupo centrado en la tarea cognitiva (impuesto) mostró una mejora de todas las variables de la tarea motriz en la retención. La conclusión de este estudio es que la imposición del foco de atención sobre la tarea cognitiva favorece el aprendizaje motriz de una tarea de equilibrio.Abstract. The main aim of this study is to analyse the impact of the self-selection of the focus of attention on the learning of a motor task. Forty participants were divided into four groups according to focus of attention (focused on motor or cognitive tasks) and focus selection (self-selection or imposition). All subjects performed a pre-test, practice, post-test, and retention (24 hours later). During tests, participants performed the postural task on a balance platform with instability in the medio-lateral direction. However, during practices they all carried out the same postural task, together with a backward span digit test. The group which focused on the cognitive task (imposed) showed improvements in all variables at retention. As a conclusion, imposing the focus of attention in cognitive tasks favours motor learning.

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