DOI: 10.4018/IJEACH.2020070102 International Journal of Extreme Automation and Connectivity in Healthcare Volume 2 • Issue 2 • July-December 2020 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 12 Impact of Attentional Loading and Task Constraints on Postural Control of Healthy Older Adults Eryk Przysucha, Lakehead University, Canada Brontë A. Vollebregt, Lakehead University, Canada Carlos Zerpa, Lakehead University, Canada ABSTRACT Postural control is attention demanding, and it may be jeopardized when a secondary cognitive task is involved, particularly for older adults. The magnitude of this interference depends on different individual (perceptuo-motor status), task (single vs. dual tasking), and environmental constraints (support surface). The purpose of this research was to examine if older adults may be affected by various types of secondary cognitive tasks, while maintaining quiet standing on different support surfaces. In line with conceptual models, the results indicated that postural control of older adults was compromised when they were required to dual-task, especially when the support surface was challenging. This was a robust finding across all the measures of COP. In regards to the degree to which different attentional tasks affected postural control, the results remained equivocal. From a practical standpoint, the results indicated that older adults should exhibit caution when simultaneously performing a balance and a cognitive task involved particularly when the surface is unsteady. KEywORdS Attentional Interference, Bottle Neck Theories, Center of Pressure, Dual-Tasking, Information Processing Paradigm, Kinetics, Motor Control, Motor Programming INTROdUCTION The ability to divide attention so that many different sensory stimulus can be attended to simultaneously, represents a very complex cognitive process. Over the past few decades different theories and models have emerged attempting to delineate how such processes unfold, and how different constraints may possible affect them (e.g., Smith, 1967; Welford, 1952). Some of them, such as Bottle Neck Theories (Pashler, 1984; 1994) are particularly relevant when examining how attention, or attentional load, impacts postural control. In line with these models, the interference that emerges during the simultaneous performance of multiple tasks is due to processes occurring during motor programming stage of the information processing con6tinuum. This is due to the fact that (motor) programming is a serial process, which is attentional demanding. Thus, when a person is attempting to program one motor action, the presence of any secondary task results in attentional interference that jeopardizes the programming of the primary action. In the context of postural control, the magnitude of such interference differs across populations, task demands and the nature of the attentional load imposed. Previous research has investigated the impact of age (e.g. Bergamin, Gabbo, Zanotto, Sieverdes, Alberton, Zaccaria, & Erolmao, 2014), the role of different types of surfaces (e.g. Shumway-Cook,