Dissociable Effects of Executive Load on Perceived Exertion and Emotional Valence during Submaximal Cycling

Vicente Ávila-Gandía, Francisco Alarcón, José C. Perales, F. Javier López-Román, Antonio J. Luque-Rubia and David Cárdenas
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Vicente Ávila-Gandía: Department of Exercise Physiology, Catholic University San Antonio, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Francisco Alarcón: Department of General and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
José C. Perales: Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
F. Javier López-Román: Department of Exercise Physiology, Catholic University San Antonio, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Antonio J. Luque-Rubia: Department of Exercise Physiology, Catholic University San Antonio, 30107 Murcia, Spain
David Cárdenas: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: Endurance physical exercise is accompanied by subjective perceptions of exertion (reported perceived exertion, RPE), emotional valence, and arousal. These constructs have been hypothesized to serve as the basis for the exerciser to make decisions regarding when to stop, how to regulate pace, and whether or not to exercise again. In dual physical-cognitive tasks, the mental (executive) workload generated by the cognitive task has been shown to influence these perceptions, in ways that could also influence exercise-related decisions. In the present work, we intend to replicate and extend previous findings that manipulating the amount of executive load imposed by a mental task, performed concomitantly with a submaximal cycling session, influenced emotional states but not perceived exertion. Participants (experienced triathletes) were asked to perform a submaximal cycling task in two conditions with different executive demands (a two-back version of the n-back task vs. oddball) but equated in external physical load. Results showed that the higher executive load condition elicited more arousal and less positive valence than the lower load condition. However, both conditions did not differ in RPE. This experimental dissociation suggests that perceived exertion and its emotional correlates are not interchangeable, which opens the possibility that they could play different roles in exercise-related decision-making.

Keywords: rating of perceived exertion; valence; arousal; emotion; mental workload; executive workload; affect emotion; exercise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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