1. Introduction
cognitive and motor exercises, CM
These authors contributed equally to this work.Many studies have indicated a weakening in several areas of cognitive functioning associated with the normal ageing process. One of the methods supporting cognitive functions in older adults is dual-task training which is based on performing cognitive and motor exercises at the same time. The study aimed at examining the characteristics of dual-task training compared to single-task training in participants over 65 years of age. Sixty-five subjects took part in the study. They were randomly assigned to three groups: dual-task cognitive-motor training (CM), single-task cognitive training (CT), and single-task motor training (MT). The training program in all groups encompassed 4 weeks and consisted of three, 30-min meetings a week. Specialized software was designed for the study. The main indicators, such as orientation and planning time and the number of errors, were monitored during the whole training in all groups. The obtained results have shown that the dual-task training was associated with a significantly greater number of movement errors, but not with a longer task planning time compared to the single-task condition training. There was a decrease in the time needed to plan a path in the mazes by subjects training in the CM, CT, and MT groups. The results indicate that after each type of training, the number of errors and the time needed to plan the path decrease, despite the increasing difficulty of the tasks. The length of planning time was strongly correlated with the number of errors made by individuals in the CM group (r = 0.74, Cognitive, especially executive, and motor functions, which tend to decline with age, are important in everyday life as the performance of some of the most basic activities requires the simultaneous involvement of both types of these functions [The interference effect is defined as overlapping of similar pieces of information, which may inhibit or disrupt one another, thus making it easier to forget one or both [Research conducted on the basis of both theories shows that the IE may change and increase if the task is difficult, or it may be reduced in the course of the training [The IE reduction was also investigated in studies applying neurophysiological tests, using functional magnetic resonance (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in participants between 20 and 30 years old [In summary, performing two activities simultaneously can overload a person’s cognitive resources, causing an interference effect. However, the IE may be reduced by multitasking training. As shown by contemporary works [The cognitive mechanisms underlying the performance of two activities at the same time may explain supporting the elderly through the dual-task training. Unfortunately, the mechanism of reducing the interference effect has not been fully understood yet. Referring to the above-mentioned literature on the subject, the assumption is that the dual-task training is more cognitively demanding compared to the single-task training, consequently:The planning time will be longer, and the number of errors will be larger during the dual-task training, compared to the single-task training.The planning time will be shorter, and the number of errors will be reduced after all types of training.The main goal of this study is to answer the question of how the characteristics of dual-task training may be compared to the single-task training in the elderly.