Fatigue, impairment, and psychomotor learning.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of impairment from physical activity on the subjective feelings of fatigue and on psycho-motor learning. Ss, 80 college men students, were divided into five groups equated on the basis of an initial trial on the Snoddy Stabilimeter. Four of the groups participated in physical activities requiring varying degrees of energy output completed in a 5-min. period. Two levels of bicycle ergometer pedalling and treadmill running comprised the activities. The control group sat quietly. Pulse rates were taken before and after the activity and recovery periods. Following the physical work (rest for the control group) Ss completed one practice on the Snoddy Stabilimeter. A score was recorded on each of six practices held on alternate days. Similar comparative data were obtained from a second psycho-motor skill, the Rotary Pursuit meter, on which Ss completed one 30-sec. practice following a 10-min. rest. It was found that the over-all rate of learning of the control group was significantly higher than that of the experimental groups as shown by level of performance on Day 6 Snoddy Stabilimeter scores. The four experimental groups had experienced different levels of energy, yet there were no significant differences among them in stabilimeter learning rate. Following the rest no significant differences were found among the groups in level of learning on the Rotary Pursuit meter. On the basis of group scores Ss who participated in grossly different energy cost activities gave different ratings of felt fatigue, but very low correlations were found between individual pulse changes following the activities and subjective ratings of fatigue experienced. The minimum levels of fatigue and pulse changes experienced by the bicycle freewheel group were sufficient to produce a detrimental effect on psycho-motor learning in the immediate post-activity period. Higher changes in pulse and more intense feelings of fatigue were not related to further decreases in the level of learning.