Article
The purpose of the study was to validate the use of dual-task exercise programs in the professional and applied physical training of medical students, based on the relationship between precision performance parameters and cognitive load.
Methods and organization of the research. Thirty female medical students (aged 20-21) participated in the study. Participants were asked to complete two types of tasks: cognitive (solving arithmetic problems) and motor (the standardized Purdue Pegboard Test). The tasks were completed alternately: first, the cognitive task, then the motor task with simultaneous solving arithmetic problems (dual task). The completion time for each task was 30 seconds. Statistical methods were used, including paired tests and correlation analysis.
Research results and their discussion. The results showed that when simultaneously performing a motor and cognitive task (dual-task conditions), there was a slight decrease in hand movement accuracy (≈2% for both the dominant and non-dominant hand), which was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant decrease in the number of correct answers to arithmetic problems (≈14%) (p < 0.0001). Correlation analysis revealed a moderate relationship between the motor and cognitive task results (r = 0.38-0.46), indicating independence between accuracy and cognitive performance.
Conclusion. The obtained results confirm the need to use exercises aimed at performing precise motor actions under cognitive load in the professional and applied physical training of medical students. The development of dual-task exercise programs is in demand in the training of future specialists whose professional skills require high precision movements, such as dentists and surgeons. The use of dual-task exercises can promote the development of not only motor precision but also cognitive function in participants. However, further validation, development, and adaptation of such motor-cognitive exercise programs require additional research with long-term follow-up.
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