Scientific Programme

Sports and Exercise Medicine and Health

IS-MH05 - Effort and its perception: current knowledge and perspectives

Date: 03.07.2025, Time: 15:15 - 16:30, Session Room: Anfiteatro

Description

Effort and its perception regulate our behaviour and are key determinants of motor and cognitive performances. This symposium will review the current knowledge on effort and its perception. To this end, we will use a multidisciplinary approach at the intersection of exercise science, physiology, neuroscience and psychology. This symposium is grounded in theoretical frameworks applicable across various disciplines, considering effort and perception of effort (PE) to have a narrow and specific meaning, and PE as a unique perception dissociated from other exercise-related perceptions, such as pain and fatigue. Dr Halperin will review the definitions of effort and the PE, and discuss key methodological aspects for measuring the PE. Dre André will challenge the general assumption that effort is inherently aversive and discuss a cost-benefit approach to effort-related decision-making. Dr Pageaux will review the current knowledge on the neurophysiology of PE, from its sensory signal(s) to the brain processing of the signal(s) generating the conscious experience of effort. Taken together, these presentations will highlight the crucial need for adopting a multidisciplinary approach to investigate effort and its perception. This symposium will benefit researchers from a range of exercise-related fields, including those focused on increasing engagement and adherence to physical activity, as well as applied sport scientists interested in the regulation of physical performance.