Page 78 - JSOM Spring 2020

Influence of a Multitask Paradigm on Motor and
Cognitive Performance of Military and Law Enforcement Personnel

A Systematic Review

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Maria K. Talarico, MS *; Matthew P. Brancaleone, PT, DPT, SCS, AT, ATC, CSCS ;
James A. Onate, PhD, AT, ATC, FNATA 3

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To review the current literature investigating if multitask environments where motor and cognitive process-
performance of tactical athletes under multitask paradigms ing tasks are integrated for holistic performance assessments.
is different than performance under single-task paradigms. Target engagement (i.e., shooting performance), whole-body
Methods: The authors completed a search of the literature movement, and object tracking are examples of motor tasks
published from January 01, 2000, to June 01, 2018, using that are commonly performed by tactical athletes and often
key search terms in PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, evaluated in training to quantify capabilities. In addition to
and Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) databases. motor performance, cognitive processing performance is also
Studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria were assessed assessed to determine decision-making, reaction time, working
for quality. Results: Fourteen articles were identified as eligi- memory, and other related capabilities. These tasks are critical
ble to be included in the review. Compared with single-task, for optimal tactical performance and therefore should be eval-
two studies reported better motor performance, six reported uated in a paradigm that reflects the operational environment.
poorer motor performance, and three reported no difference
in motor performance under multitask. Compared with sin- Although performance of motor and cognitive tasks under
gle-task, two studies reported better cognitive performance, single-task paradigms (i.e., performing a task independently
seven studies reported poorer cognitive performance, and from other tasks) provides a fundamental understanding of a
three studies reported no difference in cognitive performance tactical athlete’s capabilities, it may not reflect performance
under multitask. Conclusion: As occupational duties become under an operational environment that often requires multi-
increasingly demanding, it is crucial to modify and adapt per- task demands. Previous researchers have reported differences
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formance assessments to meet the needs required of tactical in balance, gait performance, 10–15 and reaction time 8,16 be-
athletes to guide training and injury management programs. tween single- and multitask paradigms with healthy and
Motor and cognitive assessments are an integral part of per- post- concussive sports athlete populations. More specifically
formance evaluations to train, prepare, and rehabilitate tacti- to tactical athletes, shooting decision errors are higher under
cal athletes. To meet the modern demands of tactical athletes, multitask compared with single-task. 17–19 Information on mo-
varying levels of difficulty in multitask paradigms that include tor and cognitive performance under operationally relevant
both motor and cognitive tasks should be investigated to un- environments that warrant multitask demands can provide
derstand fundamental performance under operational settings information that more closely reflects performance to guide
to better translate across training paradigms and rehabilita- training and operational preparation.
tion programs.
Survivability and lethality are dependent, in part, on the abil-
Keywords: military; law enforcement; dual-task; multitasking; ity of the tactical athlete to manage and perform multiple
cognition; psychomotor performance tasks at the same time to successfully complete occupational
demands. Reviews of dual-task protocols in concussion man-
agement, 10,20–23 cognitive-motor assessments for those with
neurological conditions, 24–29 and dual-task interventions for
Introduction
older adults have been conducted. 30–33 Although these reviews
Tactical athletes (i.e., military and law enforcement person- provide critical information on multitask performance, there
nel) are individuals whose occupational duties are centralized has yet to be a review that evaluates performance of tactical
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around protecting the community or country they serve. The athletes under single- and multitask paradigms. Therefore, the
nature of tactical athletes’ occupation requires them to com- purpose of this systematic review was to identify whether per-
plete movements and cognitive processing skills concurrently formance of tactical athletes differs between single- and multi-
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that enable optimal performance during missions. Tactical task paradigms. We hypothesized that the literature would
athletes are subjected to situations that may require a higher consistently report differences in cognitive performance be-
demand for mobility negotiation and adaptability to unpre- tween paradigms, but motor performance differences would
dictable stimuli; this demand warrants training for dynamic vary or stay the same between single- and multitask paradigms.
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*Correspondence to Ms Maria Talarico, 2835 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus, OH 43202; email: talarico.7@buckeyemail.osu.edu
1 Ms Talarico is with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Dr Brancaleone is with the School
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of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University. Dr Onate is with the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Jameson
Crane Sports Medicine Institute, and Human Performance Collaborative, The Ohio State University.
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