Age Differences in Processing Fluctuations in Postural Control Across Trials and Across Days

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Oliver Huxhold - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development, German Center of Gerontology (DZA) (Author)
  • Shu Chen Li - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Author)
  • Florian Schmiedek - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, Frankfurt am Main (Author)
  • Jacqui Smith - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Author)
  • Ulman Lindenberger - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Author)

Abstract

Postural control performances of 18 younger and 18 older adults were repeatedly measured on 45 weekdays with five trials per day. This design made it possible to dissociate between long-term trends and processing fluctuations in the sensorimotor domain at moment-to-moment, trial-to-trial, and day-to-day levels. Older adults fluctuated more than younger adults at all timescales. Age differences in trial-to-trial and day-to-day processing fluctuations were reduced but remained statistically significant when controlling for fluctuations on faster timescales. We concluded that age differences in intraindividual fluctuations at the longer timescales are in part related to age differences in low-level system robustness, suggesting a cascade of effects across multiple timescales.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)731-737
Number of pages7
JournalPsychology and aging
Volume26
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2011
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

Scopus 80052906860
PubMed 21787087

Keywords

Keywords

  • Intraindividual variability, Methods, Microlongitudinal design, Motor performance

Library keywords