Effects of different break activities on recovery from mental fatigue
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a break including light intensity physical activity on the recovery from mental fatigue. It is hypothesized that a short bout of physical activity during a break would have a positive effect on the recovery of mental fatigue compared to j...
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Format: | Final Year Project |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2016
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10356/68646 |
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Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
Language: | English |
Summary: | The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a break including light intensity
physical activity on the recovery from mental fatigue. It is hypothesized that a short bout of
physical activity during a break would have a positive effect on the recovery of mental
fatigue compared to just remaining seated and reading. This research consists of two main
studies; (1) Workplace Sitting Breaks Questionnaire (SITBRQ) conducted in a local company
with 100 responses and (2) Controlled Experiment with 20 sedentary participants (10 male, 10
female; M age = 23.8 years, SD = 1.64; M body mass index = 21.6 kg/m2, SD = 2.46) who were
tested by inducing mental fatigue through Digit Span Test and assessing their recovery from
mental fatigue after a break through cognitive performance assessments such as Stroop Test,
Math Fluency Test (MFT) and Remotes Associates Test (RAT). Self-reporting scales for
fatigue levels and Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were also
administered. The results for Study 1: SITBRQ showed that 30% of the staff only took less
than 5 minutes of short physical activity breaks. Findings for Study 2: Controlled Experiment
showed that the main effects of time (p = <.001) and conditions (p = .033) for MFT scores
were significant, suggesting improvements in recovery of retrieving storage memory after
walking during a break. In conclusion, the results of the study support taking a short walk
during a break to increase mental fatigue recovery. |
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