Mental Fatigue and Performance

Mental fatigue, defined as a psychobiological state that can be caused by engaging in demanding cognitive activity for a prolonged period, is characterised by subjective feelings of tiredness and lack of energy (Marcora et al., 2009). It has been associated with reduced task speed and accuracy when performing subsequent tasks (e.g., Boksem et al., 2005). It is also well documented that a mentally-fatiguing cognitive task can impair subsequent exercise performance. The mechanism underlying these effects and their boundary conditions have yet to be established. Accordingly, there remain gaps in our understanding of the mental fatigue-performance relationship. First, studies have yet to establish the role of cognitive task scheduling on subsequent exercise performance. Second, the importance of perceptual factors (see Jameson & Ring, 2000) in this relationship have not been fully explored. Accordingly, to address these gaps in our understanding, the current study will (a) examine the effects of cognitive task scheduling on mental fatigue and cycling exercise performance, and (b) explore the importance of perceptions of internal states (e.g., breathing, heart beating, muscle tension) on the effects of mentally-fatiguing cognitive tasks on cycling.