Effects of Social Influence and Sex on Rating of Perceived Exertion in Exercising Elite Athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of sex and presence of male and female coactors on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of elite male and female athletes during light to heavy work. Subjects were 9 male and 8 female university track athletes near the end of a competitive season. During graded exercise on a cycle ergometer, subjects' physiological and RPE responses were monitored on four separate occasions: (1) determination of peak oxygen consumption, (2) alone, (3) with a male coactor, and (4) with a female coactor. The order of the latter three conditions was systematically varied. An analysis of variance validated the exercise load assignments at relative levels, but no effect emerged with respect to sex or social influence by coactors. It was concluded that elite athletes are quite able to avoid the influence of coactors of either sex, being capable of depending more on physiological cues than has been observed previously for less well-trained subjects.