Previous research suggests that reinvestment (i.e. conscious control of movements) is associated with inefficient information processing and compromised movement strategies in older adults during walking. We examined whether reinvestment propensity is associated with conservative gait behaviour in older adults. Trait Reinvestment propensity was measured using the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale (Chinese version) (MSRS-C). Thirty-eight older adults were categorized into 'Low Reinvestor Group' (LRG) (MSRS-C < 27) and another 38 were categorized into 'High Reinvestor Group' (HRG) (MSRS-C > 38). There were no significant differences in physical and cognitive abilities between groups. Participants were asked to walk along a 6-m straight level-ground walkway at a self-selected pace under conditions of no instruction (Baseline), instruction related to self-focus on body movements (BI), and instruction related to the external environment (EI). No significant difference was found in gait behaviour between LRG and HRG at Baseline. However, significant changes, indicative of conservative gait patterns, were found in LRG when given instructions that prompted them to consciously control their body movements. No changes were observed in HRG under external-related instructions that are assumed to reduce conscious motor processing and improve motor performance. Our findings contradict previous views on the association between trait reinvestment propensity and compromised motor performance in older adults, which potentially reduces justification for reducing trait reinvestment propensity in older adults. We also suggest that MSRS is insensitive to reflect the degree of conscious control during gait tasks. Our findings also implicate the potential detrimental effect of applying inward-focus-related instructions in healthcare rehabilitation settings.

中文翻译：

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再投资在老年人保守步态中的作用。

先前的研究表明，再投资（即有意识地控制运动）与老年人行走过程中信息处理效率低下和运动策略受损有关。我们检查了老年人的再投资倾向是否与保守的步态行为有关。特质再投资倾向是使用特定于运动的再投资量表（中文版）（MSRS-C）来衡量的。38位老年人被归类为“低再投资者群体”（LRG）（MSRS-C <27），另外38位归类为“高再投资者群体”（HRG）（MSRS-C> 38）。两组之间的身体和认知能力无明显差异。要求参与者在没有指示的情况下（基准）以自行选择的速度沿着6米直的地面人行道行走，有关自我关注身体运动的说明（BI）和有关外部环境的说明（EI）。在基线时，LRG和HRG之间的步态行为无明显差异。但是，在给予指示以促使他们有意识地控制自己的身体运动的指示下，LRG中发现了指示步态保守的重要变化。根据外部相关说明，HRG中未观察到任何变化，这些变化被认为可减少有意识的运动过程并改善运动表现。我们的发现与先前关于特质再投资倾向与老年人运动能力受损之间的关联的先前观点相矛盾，这潜在地降低了降低老年人特质再投资倾向的理由。我们还建议，MSRS不敏感，无法反映步态任务期间的意识控制程度。我们的发现还暗示了在医疗康复环境中应用内向聚焦相关指令的潜在有害作用。