Age Differences in Bimanual Coordination

Authors

Paul Amrhein, Montclair State UniversityFollow
George Stelmach, Arizona State UniversityFollow
Noreen Goggin, National University of Ireland, GalwayFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 1-1-1988

Journal / Book Title

Journal of Gerontology

Abstract

A bimanual coordination experiment was conducted in which two groups of 10 male and female participants, elderly (67 to 75 years of age) and young (21 to 25 years of age), produced unimanual, bimanual symmetrical (equal extent amplitude), and bimanual asymmetrical (unequal extent amplitude) movements. In addition to an overall increase in performance latency, the elderly group exhibited a linear increase in response initiation (RT) with increases in task complexity similar to that of the young group. However, the elderly participants showed a proportional increase over the young participants in response execution latency (MT). Further, the elderly group had a slower RT for short movements than long movements, an effect not found in the young group. Compared with the young participants, the elderly participants showed greater asynchrony in response initiation of bimanual movements; increased inability to subsequently compensate during response execution also resulted in a greater asynchrony in response termination. These results suggest specific aging deficits in bimanual coordination processes.

DOI

DOI: 10.1093/geronj/43.1.P18

MSU Digital Commons Citation

Amrhein, Paul; Stelmach, George; and Goggin, Noreen, "Age Differences in Bimanual Coordination" (1988). Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 28.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/psychology-facpubs/28

Published Citation

Stelmach, George E., Paul C. Amrhein, and Noreen L. Goggin. "Age differences in bimanual coordination." Journal of Gerontology 43, no. 1 (1988): P18-P23.