Veeken, E.H.M. (2016) Avoidance instructions induce overcompensation in older adults during a narrow stance balance task. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Objectives: Older adults often receive avoidance instructions to improve their activities of daily living (e.g., 'Do not drag your feet on the ground while walking'). However, instructions that involve self-focus, especially avoidance instructions, may cause unwanted effects on balance performance. Ironic processes, overcompensation and reinvestment are potential mechanisms that may be triggered by an avoidance instruction. This study investigated whether ironic errors and/or overcompensation during a narrow stance balance task performed by elderly people were associated with avoidance instructions, cognitive load and/or an individual's propensity for conscious control of movement, i.e., reinvestment. Method: Thirty older adults were categorized as high or low reinvestors and were asked to perform a narrow stance balance task following task focus and avoidance instructions in different cognitive load conditions. Results: Receiving an avoidance instruction resulted in balance overcompensation when no cognitive load was present. This unwanted movement effect significantly decreased when high cognitive load was implemented. No ironic errors, differences between the high and low reinvestors or interaction effects were found. Conclusion: Overall, the results provide evidence that avoidance instructions cause unwanted movements, here balance overcompensation, especially when no cognitive load is present. In practice, clinicians should be aware of unwanted balance movements as a result of avoidance instructions when training movements involving balance with older adults.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Masters, R.S.W. and Caljouw, S.R. and Lamoth, C.J.C. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 04 May 2022 07:33 |
| Last Modified: | 04 May 2022 07:33 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3199 |
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