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The effects of different environments on older adults' ability to successfully cross a closing gap in virtual reality.
- Source :
-
Gait & Posture . Jun2021, Vol. 87, p1-5. 5p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>To navigate through dynamically changing environments and to avoid collisions with stationary and moving obstacles, older adults tend to over rely on their visual system because it is a more reliable source of information. Aging affects both visuomotor integration and visual perception, often resulting in the inability to produce appropriate adaptive locomotor actions in a timely manner.<bold>Research Question: </bold>Does peripheral visual information in the environment affected older adults' ability to complete a gap-crossing task with a set of closing doors at different rates (0.6-1.2 m/s)?<bold>Methods: </bold>Fifteen older adults (65-74 years) completed the study inside a virtual environment with three different levels of peripheral visual information: 1) empty; 2) stationary avatars; and 3) moving avatars. Kinematic data was collected using an Optotrak camera system to track the older adults' body movements during the task.<bold>Results: </bold>The results demonstrated that regardless of the environment or closing door speed, older adults maintained consistent approach speeds. However, older adults collided with the fastest moving doors a significant number of times at the fastest door closing rates for the empty and moving avatar conditions.<bold>Significance: </bold>Although it appears that older adults are able to attend on a central task (i.e., passing through closing doors) and maintain constant behaviours regardless of the visual information from peripheral environment, richness of the peripheral environment provides accurate feedback about self-motion affects success rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09666362
- Volume :
- 87
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Gait & Posture
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 150431007
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.04.009