Abstract
We investigated the effects of shifting attentional focus from a postural control task to a concurrent attentionally demanding task (silent counting) in younger and older adults. The task was to stand on a force platform and move a centre of pressure (COP) feedback cursor along the mediolateral axis in a specific target location. Participants were asked to either focus internally on keeping their weight evenly distributed between both legs or focus externally on keeping the feedback cursor on the target. On some trials, they performed a concurrent silent arithmetic task with the postural task. Results revealed that younger adults had less sway variability when they focused externally, or performed a concurrent attentionally demanding task, however, older adults did not show the same pattern as younger adults. The finding suggests that both younger and older adults were using the visual feedback and performing the secondary task, but that the effects of these depended on the focus of attention instruction. While there is consistent evidence showed the benefit of an external focus compared to the internal focus, the relationship between focus of attention instruction and its effect on postural control in older individuals requires further exploration.Acknowledgments: We would like to thank members of the Physical Activity Centre for Excellence (PACE) at McMaster University for help with recruiting senior participants for this study.