Research in dual task performance varies widely in its methodology and results. The present study employed three different types of activity to provide insights into the interference that occurs in dual task performance. Twenty young adults completed a speech task (repeating a sentence), a verbal fluency task (listing words beginning with the same letter), and right- and left-handed motor tasks (placing pegs and washers in a peg board) in isolation and in concurrent conditions. Speech kinematic data revealed that during concurrent performance of manual tasks, lip displacement and peak velocity decreased, while sound pressure level and spatiotemporal variability increased. The impact of manual motor performance on speech differed between the right and left hand. Manual motor scores significantly decreased when concurrently performed with the verbal fluency task. Also, verbal fluency results declined when performed concurrently with left-handed manual motor task. These findings suggest that cortical localization of control may be more complex than is predicted by the functional distance hypothesis.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:40:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aline Rodrigues Sorcinelli.pdf: 545203 bytes, checksum: 537c38908ca66dbcaceb6f9079a917e5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-29 / The shortage of normative data in instruments and specific tests for the Brazilian population is a challenge to the professionals that intend to measure the effectiveness of its work. At the practical clinic, many diagnoses, preventions and treatments are established with the use of tests or measuring instruments. Instruments and tests that cover the motor developing aspects of manual coordination ability are even harder to find on the Brazilian children s norms and are important to notice the motor coordination issues that may affect their ability to take care of themselves, social activities and school performance. This study intended to find validation evidences of three manual motor ability tests, Purdue Pegboard, Finger Tapping and Simple Reaction Time in 134 right-handed children of 5 and 6 years old from two schools based in São Paulo, one of which is a private school and the other one is a public school with different socioeconomic levels. The specific objectives were intended to compare the performance of the manual motor ability tests between sexes and ages of 5 and 6 years olds, and to verify whether there was a performance difference in the tests between the children from the public and private school. The results showed a significant correlation between the three tests helping to validate the theory. Regarding the specified objectives, it was observed that between all the manual motor ability, only on the Purdue Pegboard 3 and 4 sub-tests did the girls perform better than the boys; the older children achieved a better performance on the tests; and the manual motor ability tests performance doesn t depend on which type of school the children attend. / A escassez de dados normativos em instrumentos e testes específicos para a população brasileira é um desafio aos profissionais que propõem mensurar a efetividade de seu trabalho. Na prática clínica, muitos diagnósticos, assim como prevenções e tratamentos podem ser estabelecidos com o uso de testes ou instrumentos de mensuração. Instrumentos e testes que abrangem aspectos do desenvolvimento motor como habilidade motora manual são ainda mais difíceis de estarem disponíveis nas normas para crianças brasileiras. Estes são importantes para a detecção de problemas de coordenação motora, que podem influenciar nas atividades de auto-cuidado, nas atividades sociais e no desempenho escolar. Este estudo propôs buscar evidências de validação de três testes de habilidade motora manual, Purdue Pegboard, Finger Tapping e Tempo de Reação Simples em 134 crianças de cinco e seis anos de idade. Todas destras, de duas escolas paulistanas, sendo uma escola particular e outra pública, com níveis sócioeconômicos distintos. Como objetivos específicos, a pesquisa propôs comparar o desempenho dos testes de habilidade motora manual entre os sexos, e entre as idades de cinco e seis anos. Além de verificar se existe diferenças no desempenho dos testes entre os sujeitos da escola pública e particular. Os resultados apontaram correlações significantes entre os três testes, o que auxiliou no processo de validade da construção. Em relação aos objetivos específicos observamos que entre todos os testes de habilidade motora manual, apenas nos sub-testes 3 e 4 do Purdue Pegboard, as meninas tiveram melhor desempenho que os meninos, os sujeitos com maior idade obtiveram melhor desempenho nos testes e o desempenho dos testes de habilidade motora manual independe do tipo de escola que o sujeito freqüenta.