Article

The present experiment assessed, in children aged 7-11 and in adults, whether
postural control is affected by cognitive processes and vice versa. Using a
dual-task, the level of difficulty of a Stroop task and bipedal quiet stance
varied alternatively. We hypothesised that the interference between cognitive and
postural tasks was non-linear during childhood with a so-called turning point
around 8. Twenty-seven children 7- to 11-years-old and nine adults participated
in the experiments. The postural task was executed in a semi-tandem Romberg
position. Two cognitive conditions (congruent and non-congruent Stroop
conditions) and two postural situations (with and without perturbed
proprioceptive inputs) were presented simultaneously with the instruction to
respond as correctly as possible while remaining as stable as possible. Results
showed that, in the Vib condition, CoP mean velocity decreased with the increased
cognitive complexity only in children aged 7. Moreover, the data showed a
non-linear decrease in postural sway during childhood, whatever the level of
complexity of the cognitive and/or postural tasks. CoP mean amplitude and mean
velocity decreased between 7 and 8, and again between age 11 and adults. This
study (1) confirmed that the interference between mental activity and postural
control can be attributed mainly to attentional limitations, (2) showed the
existence of a turning point around 8 in the development of this capacity, and
(3) suggested that the mature level of attentional resources was not reached
until age 11. Further research is needed to assess the development of attention
implied in a cognitive/postural dual-task, including probably another so-called
turning point during the adolescence.
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