Elementary cognitive task

Abstract: Changes in gait parameters induced by the concomitant performance of one of two cognitive tasks activating working memory and spatial attention, was examined in healthy young adults (YA) and older adults (OA). There was a main effect of task condition on gait-speed (p = .02), stride-length (p < .001) and double-support time (p = .04) independent of the group. There were no significant differences between working memory and spatial attention associated gait changes. Working-memory and spatial-attention dual-tasking led to a decrease in gait-speed (p = .09 and 0.01) and stride-length (p = .04 and 0.01) and increase in double-support time (p = .01 and 0.03) in YA and decrease in stride-length (p = .04 and 0.01) alone in OA. Cognitive task associated changes in gait may be a function of limited attentional resources irrespective of the type of cognitive task.

Abstract: Data collection for the Norwegian Cognitive NeuroGenetics sample (NCNG) was initiated in 2003 with a research grant (to Ivar Reinvang) to study cognitive aging, brain function, and genetic risk factors. The original focus was on the effects of aging (from middle age and up) and candidate genes (e.g., APOE, CHRNA4) in cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, with the cognitive and MRI-based data primarily being used for this purpose. However, as the main topic of the project broadened from cognitive aging to imaging and cognitive genetics more generally, the sample size, age range of the participants, and scope of available phenotypes and genotypes, have developed beyond the initial project. In 2009, a genome-wide association (GWA) study was undertaken, and the NCNG proper was established to study the genetics of cognitive and brain function more comprehensively. The NCNG is now controlled by the NCNG Study Group, which consists of the present authors. Prominent features of the NCNG are the adult life-span coverage of healthy participants with high-dimensional imaging, and cognitive data from a genetically homogenous sample. Another unique property is the large-scale (sample size 300-700) use of experimental cognitive tasks focusing on attention and working memory. The NCNG data is now used in numerous ongoing GWA-based studies and has contributed to several international consortia on imaging and cognitive genetics. The objective of the following presentation is to give other researchers the information necessary to evaluate possible contributions from the NCNG to various multi-sample data analyses.

Abstract: Background. Studies comparing the effects of spatial and nonspatial secondary tasks on balance have produced conflicting results. However, in most of these studies the difficulty levels of the secondary tasks have not been matched. In this study, we compared the effects of carefully matched visuospatial (VS) and nonspatial (NS) secondary tasks on choice stepping reaction time (CSRT). Methods. Forty-one older people (mean age 78.8 years) completed a CSRT test under five conditions: (i) no secondary task; (ii) an easy NS counting backward task; (iii) a difficult NS counting back task; (iv) an easy VS memory task; and (v) a difficult VS memory task. Response times and secondary task errors were measured for each condition. Participants also gave difficulty ratings for each secondary task. Results. The difficult tasks were rated significantly more difficult than the easy tasks in both VS and NS conditions, and cognitive task errors were moderately correlated with perceived difficulty. A repeated-measure analysis of variance with planned contrasts revealed a significant effect of task type, with the VS condition slowing CSRT more than the NS condition. There was also a significant task difficulty effect with the more difficult tasks increasing CSRT. Conclusions. The findings suggest that VS cognitive tasks affect CSRT more so than do NS tasks. The visuospatial sketchpad appears to be specifically utilized for carrying out motor tasks necessary for preserving balance. Practical implications are that tasks that require visuospatial attention and memory may adversely influence balance control in older people.

Abstract: Two experiments were conducted to investigate the assumption that rich domain knowledge can compensate for low overall aptitude on domainrelated cognitive tasks W hereas previous research dealing with text recall and text comprehension tasks has provided evidence supporting this assumption, recent studies examining the effects of both expertise and intelligence on a strategic memory task (sort-recall task) found that the effects of domain knowledge were not strong enough to eliminate performance differences between high- and low-aptitude experts In our experiments, both text-recall and sort-recall measures related to the game of soccer were presented to highand low-aptitude fourth-grade children who were either soccer experts or novices, using a within-subjects design The main difference between the two studies concerned the testing procedure: W hereas in Study 1 testing was conducted in small groups, in Study 2 children were tested individually Both studies confirmed the outcom e of previous research