The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults

The present study examined the relationship between executive function (EF) and fine motor control in young and older healthy adults. Participants completed 3 measures of executive function; a spatial working memory (SWM) task, the Stockings of Cambridge task (planning), and the Intra-Dimensional Ex...

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Main Authors: Corti, E., Johnson, A., Riddle, H., Gasson, Natalie, Kane, R., Loftus, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier BV; North Holland 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35814
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author Corti, E.
Johnson, A.
Riddle, H.
Gasson, Natalie
Kane, R.
Loftus, A.
author_facet Corti, E.
Johnson, A.
Riddle, H.
Gasson, Natalie
Kane, R.
Loftus, A.
author_sort Corti, E.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The present study examined the relationship between executive function (EF) and fine motor control in young and older healthy adults. Participants completed 3 measures of executive function; a spatial working memory (SWM) task, the Stockings of Cambridge task (planning), and the Intra-Dimensional Extra-Dimensional Set-Shift task (set-shifting). Fine motor control was assessed using 3 subtests of the Purdue Pegboard (unimanual, bimanual, sequencing). For the younger adults, there were no significant correlations between measures of EF and fine motor control. For the older adults, all EFs significantly correlated with all measures of fine motor control. Three separate regressions examined whether planning, SWM and set-shifting independently predicted unimanual, bimanual, and sequencing scores for the older adults. Planning was the primary predictor of performance on all three Purdue subtests. A multiple-groups mediation model examined whether planning predicted fine motor control scores independent of participants' age, suggesting that preservation of planning ability may support fine motor control in older adults. Planning remained a significant predictor of unimanual performance in the older age group, but not bimanual or sequencing performance. The findings are discussed in terms of compensation theory, whereby planning is a key compensatory resource for fine motor control in older adults.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-358142017-09-13T15:30:50Z The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults Corti, E. Johnson, A. Riddle, H. Gasson, Natalie Kane, R. Loftus, A. The present study examined the relationship between executive function (EF) and fine motor control in young and older healthy adults. Participants completed 3 measures of executive function; a spatial working memory (SWM) task, the Stockings of Cambridge task (planning), and the Intra-Dimensional Extra-Dimensional Set-Shift task (set-shifting). Fine motor control was assessed using 3 subtests of the Purdue Pegboard (unimanual, bimanual, sequencing). For the younger adults, there were no significant correlations between measures of EF and fine motor control. For the older adults, all EFs significantly correlated with all measures of fine motor control. Three separate regressions examined whether planning, SWM and set-shifting independently predicted unimanual, bimanual, and sequencing scores for the older adults. Planning was the primary predictor of performance on all three Purdue subtests. A multiple-groups mediation model examined whether planning predicted fine motor control scores independent of participants' age, suggesting that preservation of planning ability may support fine motor control in older adults. Planning remained a significant predictor of unimanual performance in the older age group, but not bimanual or sequencing performance. The findings are discussed in terms of compensation theory, whereby planning is a key compensatory resource for fine motor control in older adults. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35814 10.1016/j.humov.2016.11.001 Elsevier BV; North Holland restricted
spellingShingle Corti, E.
Johnson, A.
Riddle, H.
Gasson, Natalie
Kane, R.
Loftus, A.
The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
title The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
title_full The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
title_fullStr The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
title_short The relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
title_sort relationship between executive function and fine motor control in young and older adults
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35814