Spontaneous Gait Transitions
Introduction
Purpose: To demonstrate the
spontaneous change in gait coordination
that occurs with systematic increases in
gait speed when a person is walking.
Textbook Reading
Chapter 5
Task and Equipment Needed
The task involves walking and running on
a treadmill.
Equipment
 Treadmill (it should allow for
speeds to be changed while a
person is walking or running).
 Stopwatch
Procedures
1. Depending on the number of
treadmills available, organize the
students in groups. Each person
will serve as a participant and
experimenter or observer. The
experimenter will control the timing
and setting of speeds on the
treadmill. Others in the group,
except for the participant, will
serve as observers to assess the
participant's gait characteristics.
After a person serves as the
participant, he or she should be on
observer or experimenter while
another person in the group
becomes the participant.
2. The participant is told that he or
she will begin walking on the
treadmill and continue walking as
the speed increases every 15 sec.
until he or she needs to run to
maintain contact with the treadmill.
3. The experimenter starts the
treadmill moving at a speed of 3
mph (4.8 kph) and maintains this
speed for 15 sec. During this 15-
sec. period the observers should
note whether the participant is
walking or running. At the end of
15 sec. the experimenter
increases the speed to 3.5 mph
(5.6 kph). This new speed should
be maintained for 15 sec., during
which the observers note whether
the participant is walking or
running. This same procedure
should be followed every 15 sec.,
with the experimenter increasing
the speed by 0.5 mph (0.8 kph) to
a maximum speed of 6 mph (9.6
kph). Test each person on all the
speeds listed on the Individual
Data Table.
Judging a walking and running
gait. The criterion for determining
if the observed gait is walking or
running is whether or not the gait
involves a flight phase, which
means a distinct time period during
which neither foot is in contact with
the treadmill.
Walking = No flight phase is
observed (i.e., one foot is always
in contact with the treadmill).
Running = A flight phase is
observed (i.e., neither foot is in
contact with the treadmill at some
point during a stride).
Observers should agree on their
judgments. If they disagree, the
experimenter should continue the
speed until they agree.
4. Record the observers' judgment
for each speed on the participant's
Individual Data Table.
 Spontaneous Gait Transitions

Name Section Date

Observers

For each speed, check the appropriate box to indicate if the participant was walking or
running

Speed Walk Run

3 mph [4.8 kph]

3.5 mph [5.6 kph]

4 mph [6.4 kph]

4.5 mph [7.2 kph]

5 mph [8 kph]

5.5 mph [8.8 kph]

6 mph [9.6 kph]

Spontaneous Gait Transitions

Name Section Date

Results

1. Record on the Group Data Form for the lab section the first speed at which
each person ran.
2. Calculate the mean and standard deviation for the initial running speed for the
group.
3. Create a bar graph that shows the initial running speed for each person in the
group (i.e., one bar for each person, with Initial Running Speed on the y-
axis.).

Spontaneous Gait Transitions

Name Section Date

Questions
1. (a) Do your group's results support the hypothesis that people will
spontaneously change from a walking to a running gait at a certain speed?
Explain.

(b) At what speed did the majority of students in your group begin to run?
(Use the Mode of the individual results plotted on your graph.)

2. What do your group's results indicate about the similarity (or lack of it) of the
critical speed at which the students changed gait?

3. How would the dynamic pattern theory explain the results of this lab?
4. What are some practical implications of the results of this lab?