Effects of different behavioral information in the intrinsic dynamics of visual information and body sway

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of information and instruction on the intrinsic dynamics of postural control functioning in children. Ten children (8 year-old) and 10 young adults stood upright inside of a moving room that remained stationary or was discretely moved. Fourteen trials were colleted, with the first and the last one without any movement of the room. In the others, the room was moved and the participants were correct or wrongly informed about its movement. The participants were also instructed to not move, move together, or move in an opposite direction of the room. Body sway due to the movement of the room and time to reversal were used to examine the visual manipulation influence. Cross-correlation coefficients and time lags between the room’s movement and body sway were calculated. The results revealed that visual manipulation induced body sway in both children and adults. Information about the room’s movement and instruction to perform an action decreased the effect of visual manipulation on body sway, with instruction to perform an action being more efficient than information about the room’s movement. Children use information and instruction to alter visual manipulation influence, however, not as well as adults do. Based upon these results, behavioral information might be used to partially change the intrinsic dynamics, with instruction to perform an action being more effective than information about the environmental context. Children are more susceptible to the intrinsic dynamics of the system than adults are.