Article

The present study examined the effectiveness of a training method to enhance
balance in people with PD, which could potentially reduce their risk for falls.
Specifically, we investigated whether the benefits of the self-controlled use of
a physical assistance device for the learning of a balance task, found previously
in healthy adults, would generalize to adults with PD. Twenty-eight individuals
with PD were randomly assigned to one of two groups, a self-control and a yoked
(control) group. The task required participants to stand on a balance platform
(stabilometer), trying to keep the platform as close to horizontal as possible
during each 30-s trial. In the self-control group, participants had a choice, on
each of 10 practice trials, to use or not to use a balance pole. Participants in
the yoked group received the same balance pole on the schedule used by their
counterparts in the self-control group, but did not have a choice. Learning was
assessed one day later by a retention test. The self-control group demonstrated
more effective learning of the task than the yoked group. Questionnaire results
indicated that self-control participants were more motivated to learn the task,
were less nervous, and less concerned about their body movements relative to
yoked participants. Possible reasons for the learning benefits of self-controlled
practice, including a basic psychological need for autonomy, are discussed.
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Langue : ANGLAIS