How the mode of action affects evidence of planning and movement kinematics in aging: End-state comfort in older adults

ABSTRACT Motor deficits are commonly observed with age; however, it has been argued that older adults are more adept when acting in natural tasks and do not differ from young adults in these contexts. This study assessed end‐state comfort and movement kinematics in a familiar task to examine this further. Left‐ and right‐handed older adults picked up a glass (upright or overturned) as if to pour water in four modes of action (pantomime, pantomime with image/cup as a guide, actual grasping). With increasing age, a longer deceleration phase (in pantomime without a stimulus) and less end‐state comfort (in pantomime without a stimulus and image as a guide) was displayed as the amount of contextual information available to guide movement decreased. Changes in movement strategies likely reflect an increased reliance on feedback control and demonstration of a more cautious movement. A secondary aim of this study was to assess hand preference and performance, considering conflicting reports of manual asymmetries with age. Performance differences in the Grooved Pegboard place task indicate left handers may display a shift towards right handedness in some, but not all cases. Summarizing, this study supports age‐related differences in planning and control processes in a familiar task, and changes in manual asymmetries with age in left handers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 439–449, 2016.