ERIC Number: EJ860108
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Oct
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0096-1523
EISSN: N/A
Walking Changes the Dynamics of Cognitive Estimates of Time Intervals
Kiefer, Adam W.; Riley, Michael A.; Shockley, Kevin; Villard, Sebastien; Van Orden, Guy C.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, v35 n5 p1532-1541 Oct 2009
Cognitive performance exhibits patterns of trial-to-trial variation that can be described as 1/f or pink noise, as do repeated measures of locomotor performance. Although cognitive and locomotor performances are known to interact when performed concurrently, it is not known whether concurrent performance affects the tasks' pink noise dynamical structure. In this study, participants performed a cognitive task (repeatedly producing a temporal interval) and a motor task (walking on a treadmill) in single- and dual-task conditions. In single-task conditions both tasks exhibited pink noise structure. For concurrent performance the dynamical structure of the cognitive task changed reliably in the direction of white (random) noise. The dynamical structure of locomotion remained pink noise. The change in cognitive dynamics occurred despite no reliable changes in mean or standard deviation measures for either task. The results suggest a functional reorganization of cognitive dynamics supporting successful task performance in dual-task conditions. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Physical Activities, Cognitive Processes, Time Perspective, Intervals, Correlation, Undergraduate Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A