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Luyat M, Dumez K, Noël M, Altintas E, Campion C, Lafargue G, Guerraz M. The tool effect is lower in older adults with or without cognitive impairments than in young adults. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:670-677. [PMID: 37768359 PMCID: PMC10858130 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01872-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Grabbing a phone from a table or stepping over an obstacle on the ground are daily activities that require the brain to take account of both object and the body's parameters. Research has shown that a person's estimated maximum reach is temporarily overestimated after using a tool, even when the tool is no longer in hand. This tool effect reflects the high plasticity of the perceptual-motor system (e.g., body schema updating)-at least in young individuals. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the tool effect is smaller in older adults. Forty-four young adults, 37 older adults without cognitive impairment and 30 older adults with cognitive impairment took part in the experiment. The task consisted in visually estimating the ability to reach (using the index finger) a target positioned at different locations on a table, both before and after using a rake. We observed a strong after-effect of tool use in the young adults only. Conversely, a tool effect was similarly absent in the older adults without and with cognitive impairment. Moreover, even before the tool was used, the maximum reach was overestimated in each of the three groups, although the overestimation was greatest in the two groups of older adults. In summary, we showed that the tool effect, observed in young adults, was absent in older adults; this finding suggests that with advancing age, the perceptual-motor system is less able to adapt to novel sensorimotor contexts. This lack of adaptation might explain (at least in part) the overestimation of motor skills often reported in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Luyat
- Univ. Lille, ULR 4072 - PSITEC - Psychologie : Interactions, Temps, Emotions, Cognition, 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Kévin Dumez
- Clinique du Val de Lys (Groupe Ramsay), 167 rue Nationale, 59200, Tourcoing, France
| | - Myriam Noël
- Univ. Lille, ULR 4072 - PSITEC - Psychologie : Interactions, Temps, Emotions, Cognition, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Emin Altintas
- Univ. Lille, ULR 4072 - PSITEC - Psychologie : Interactions, Temps, Emotions, Cognition, 59000, Lille, France
- Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Unité de gériatrie, 59200, Tourcoing, France
| | - Cédric Campion
- Centre hospitalier de Lens, Unité de gériatrie, 99 route de la Bassée, 62300, Lens, France
| | - Gilles Lafargue
- Univ. Reims, Laboratoire C2S EA 6291, Departement de Psychologie, 51000, Reims, France
| | - Michel Guerraz
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France
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Caffier D, Luyat M, Crémoux S, Gillet C, Ido G, Barbier F, Naveteur J. Do Older People Accurately Estimate the Length of Their First Step during Gait Initiation? Exp Aging Res 2019; 45:357-371. [PMID: 31181989 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2019.1627495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Background/Study Context: Advancing age is associated with a decrease in step length. In line with previous studies showing that older adults often overestimate their motor abilities, we investigate whether older adults overestimate the length of their first step during gait initiation. The underlying effect could be a failure to update the internal model of motor action as a function of age-related motor decline. Methods: Without taking a step, community-dwelling older women (n = 22, age range: 68-87 years) and younger women (n = 19, age range: 19-33 years) estimated the length of their first step for both preferred step length and largest step length, which were performed without endangerment. Thereafter, the participants performed real gait initiation for both types of steps. The estimated step lengths were compared to the actual step lengths. Results: Older adults judged their first step as larger than it was (mean error: 30% for the preferred step and 9% for the largest step). A fine-grained analysis showed that this effect mainly concerned those for whom an increased risk of falling was suspected. These older adults were also among those who performed the shortest steps, and they presented with a slight decrease in cognitive functioning. Younger participants underestimated their preferred step length. Overall, the estimates were more accurate for the largest steps than for the preferred-length steps. Conclusion: Step length estimation revealed powerful evidence for overestimation in older adults. Those who overestimated step length presented with more signs of motor decline. While this result sustains the idea of an insufficient actualization of the motor-action model, the explanation also refers to more global appraisal processes. Further research should explore the relevance of this task as a clinical laboratory tool for assessing gait capacity and the risk of falling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Caffier
- a Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France , CNRS, UMR 8201 - LAMIH, F-59313 , Valenciennes , France
| | - Marion Luyat
- b Univ. Lille, PSITEC, Department of Psychology, F-59650 Lille , France
| | - Sylvain Crémoux
- a Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France , CNRS, UMR 8201 - LAMIH, F-59313 , Valenciennes , France
| | - Christophe Gillet
- a Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France , CNRS, UMR 8201 - LAMIH, F-59313 , Valenciennes , France
| | - Ghassan Ido
- c Hospital center , Physical and Rehabilitation Medecine Service, F-59230 , Saint Amand-les-Eaux , France
| | - Franck Barbier
- a Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France , CNRS, UMR 8201 - LAMIH, F-59313 , Valenciennes , France
| | - Janick Naveteur
- a Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France , CNRS, UMR 8201 - LAMIH, F-59313 , Valenciennes , France.,d Univ. Lille, Faculty of Science and Technologies, Department of Biology, F-59650 Lille , France
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Mengarelli A, Cardarelli S, Strazza A, Di Nardo F, Fioretti S, Verdini F. Validity of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board for the Assessment of Balance Measures in the Functional Reach Test. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2018; 26:1400-1406. [DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2018.2843884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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