Articles
Theoretical and methodological reflections on the concept of cognitive fatigue
In this article, we have focused on the concept of cognitive fatigue, also known as mental fatigue. After providing a definition, we have placed it in perspective with other similar concepts such as physical fatigue, central fatigue, and ego depletion. We have also addressed confounding variables commonly present in the literature.
In a second part, we examined various theories that attempt to explain cognitive fatigue, such as resource depletion, synaptic mechanisms, motivational orientation, and effort investment. We particularly discussed the possible synergy between these different explanations.
We also addressed the methodologies used to study cognitive fatigue and the confounding variables that need to be controlled. Finally, we discussed the perspectives for future research, including ways to combat acute cognitive fatigue and pathologies that can exacerbate it.
To cite this article :
Mangin, T., Audiffren, M., & André, N. (2023). Réflexions théoriques et méthodologiques autour du concept de fatigue cognitive. Movement & Sport Sciences-Science & Motricité.
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A Plausible Link Between Time-on-Task Effect and Sequential Task Effect
The
literature on mental fatigue is vast. Two main protocols are used to study it.
The first is the time-on-task protocol, where individuals perform a long task
requiring sustained attention. It is common to observe a decline in performance
with time on task (unless training has been done beforehand, which will
initially improve performance due to the training and then deteriorate due to
mental fatigue). The second is the sequential task protocol, where individuals
first perform a demanding task (or a control task that requires little or no
effort) and then a second equally demanding task. It is common to observe a
decline in performance in the second task when the first task was highly
demanding. This decline in performance is typically attributed to the presence
of mental fatigue.
In this study, we combined the two protocols and found a
positive but not very high correlation (r = .272) between performance on the
two tasks, indicating a common mechanism between the two declines in
performance. This mechanism could be mental fatigue. However, there is still a
large portion that is not shared between the two phenomena that remains to be
explained.
.
To cite this article: Mangin, T., Audiffren, M., Lorcery, A., Mirabelli, F., Benraiss, A., & André, N. (2022). A plausible link between the time-on-task effect and the sequential task effect. Frontiers in psychology , 13 , 998393.
No Ego Depletion Without a Good Control Task
Ego-depletion is a phenomenon that has been widely studied for over 20 years. However, many studies have been unable to replicate the effect. In this article, we were interested in the necessary conditions for the emergence of the phenomenon. In a first experiment, we attempted to replicate the ego-depletion effect under the best conditions according to our knowledge (i.e., a long and difficult task that heavily taxed executive functions), but were unable to do so. However, we noticed that the control task used (which is regularly used in the literature) induced a lot of boredom in participants.
In a second experiment, we looked for a new control task that was as neutral as possible and could be used in the future, and compared it to the control task used in the first experiment.
In a third study, we used this new control task and were able to replicate the ego-depletion effect. We also noticed that the boredom felt in the exhausting task accounted for part of the variance in the ego-depletion effect.
To cite this article: Mangin, T., André, N., Benraiss, A., Pageaux, B., & Audiffren, M. (2021). No ego-depletion effect without a good control task. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 57 , 102033.
Posters
Does a mental task can influence your physical performance? The negative effect of the control condition.
This poster was a first presentation of the article
"Mangin et al., 2021. No Ego Depletion Without a Good Control Task"
at the European Congress of Sport Sciences.
To cite this poster: Mangin, T., André, N., Benraïss, A., Audiffren, M., (2019). Does a mental task can influence your physical performance? The negative effect of the control condition. Poster in European Congress of Sport Sciences. Prague University, Tcheque Republic, July, 3-6th.