Thesis (M.S.O.T.) PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / OBJECTIVE: We examined how gait behaviors in children and adults differed during a structured and during a minimally structured, practice walking task when temporal constraints were imposed. METHODS: Fifteen children between the ages of 5-7 and fifteen adults between the ages of 18-30 participated in an overground walking task: structured (i.e., on a defined path to specific paces) and minimally structured (i.e., freely around a room) interspersed with practice walking to the specific paces. At the beginning and end of the study, participants walked at their own pace on a 6-m long gait carpet. During the structured task, subjects walked on the same gait carpet to the beat of three different metronome paces (slow, normal, and fast). The distance and timing of participants’ steps were measured with the mechanized, pressure-sensitive gait carpet. During the minimally structured practice task, subjects walked freely around the room for two minutes to the same three metronome paces (slow, normal, and fast). All subject trials were videotaped and the two-minute minimally structured practice periods were analyzed using a video coding system. RESULTS: Compared to children, adults demonstrated a greater difference from their baseline walking in all gait parameters (i.e., velocity, cadence, step length, step time, swing time, stance time, single limb support time, and double limb support time) at the slow metronome pace (all ps<.01). However, at the slow pace, children had more difficulty keeping pace with the metronome compared to adults both before (p=.001) and after practice (p=.001). Furthermore, the magnitude of children’s errors in meeting the metronome pace was larger than that of adults at the normal (p=.007) and slow (p=.002) paces. During the two-minute minimally structured practice periods, children demonstrated more gait behaviors than adults however, only foot behaviors (i.e., leaping, cross stepping, walking backward, and toe-walking) reached initial significance when walking at the normal compared to the slow pace. Follow up comparisons did not reach significance for any of the gait behaviors for children or adults. CONCLUSION: We found that children and adults modified their gait patterns when given a temporal constraint in order to try to match the constraint. Children were more prone to maintain gait patterns that were similar to their baseline walking than adults and subsequently had more difficulty matching all of the metronome paces. In addition, children demonstrated a larger variety and frequency of gait behaviors than adults when able to structure their own walking during minimally structured practice tasks. / 2031-01-01

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De nombreuses études ont montré qu’une activation d'indices moteurs (mouvement d’approche ou de retrait ; Cretenet et Dru 2004) ou spatiaux (verticale ou horizontale ; Casasanto, 2009) était de nature à influencer un jugement ou des réponses finales. Dans le cadre des théories de la cognition incarnée, ce travail examine l’effet de l’activation synchrone ou asynchrone de ces indices comme étant révélatrice de processus cognitifs. Dans cette perspective, nos travaux, présentés sous la forme de deux articles, ont pour objectif d’analyser l’effet de ces activations, impliquant la théorie de la correspondance de polarité (Proctor et Cho, 2006), sur la résolution d’opérations arithmétiques, comme l’expression d’une combinatoire cognitive particulière. De plus, cette thèse supporte l’idée qu’une analogie entre la PCE et ces résultats peut être faite. En effet, le cœur de notre travail consiste défendre l’idée que quelque soit les indices conceptuels (motivationnel ou émotionnel) activés, de mêmes effets sont observés, traduisant la mise en jeu d’un même système de codage de polarités. Lors de l’activation d’indices de polarité (motivationnelle ou émotionnelle), un phénomène de compatibilité s’opère influençant le raisonnement mathématique.Nous proposons d'étudier l'effet d’un mouvement moteur (effectué) ou spatial (perçu) combinant deux dimensions spatiales (latérale et verticale) simultanément ou non sur la performance numérique. L’objectif est d’analyser l’influence de conditions de congruence ou de non congruence sur la résolution d’opérations arithmétiques. L’idée est de montrer qu’une activation synchrone d’indices moteurs ou spatiaux influencerait une combinatoire cognitive telle que la multiplication (Article 1) ; tandis qu’une activation asynchrone d’indices spatiaux influencerait une combinatoire cognitive telle que l’addition (Article 2).Ces travaux démontrent pour la première fois comment des combinatoires perceptives ou motrices déterminent des combinatoires cognitives. / Several studies have shown that an activation of motors (approach-avoidance behaviors, Cretenet & Dru 2004) or spatial cues (vertical or horizontal, Casasanto, 2009) is likely to influence the affective judgment or the final responses. In regards of the theories of embodiment, this studies examine the effect of combined (synchronous or asynchronous) motor and spatial cues on mathematical reasoning as revealing cognitive processes. In this perspective, our work, presented in two articles, with the aim to analyze the effect of these activations, involving the theory of polarity correspondence (Proctor & Cho, 2006), on the resolution of arithmetic operations, as the expression of a particular cognitive functioning. Furthermore, this thesis supports the idea that this operation has some analogy with the polarity correspondence effect (PCE). Indeed, our work supports the idea that whatever the activated conceptual cues are (motivational or emotional), the same effects are observed - a similar system is activated, coded as polarities which might be indicative of the PCE. When the activation of polarity indices (motivational or emotional), a phenomenon of compatibility occurs that also influences mathematical reasoning.We investigate the effect of a motor (performed) or spatial (perceived) movement combining two spatial dimensions (laterality and verticality) simultaneously or not on numerical performance. The objective is to investigate the influence of congruence or noncongruence conditions on the resolution of arithmetic operations. When a synchronous activation of peripheral cues (motor or spatial) is activated, we would observed an effect on mathematical reasoning, such as multiplication (Article 1); while when an asynchronous activation, deferred in time and space, of spatial cues would influence a mathematical reasonning, such as addition (Article 2). For the first time, studies demonstrate how a particular combination of perceptual or motor activations reveals some correspondent cognitive mechanism.