Author(s): CINELLI, M., KELLY, I., Institution: WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 1726

INTRODUCTION:
Athletic training may help athletes maintain their performance even when mentally fatigued. However, the previous studies only tested male athletes when investigating mental fatigue. Unfortunately, there is limited research comparing the effects of mental fatigue on performance between male and female athletes. The aim of the current study was to determine whether male and female varsity rugby players are similarly resistant to mental fatigue. Using a Virtual Reality (VR) crossing order task, it was hypothesized that: (1) Following a 30-minute Stroop task, performance on a VR decision-making task would decrease, with slower, more variable response times and decreased accuracy, compared to pre-fatigue levels; (2) Conditions that most closely matched the athlete’s average walking speed would be the most difficult to determine crossing order (i.e. increased response time; decreased accuracy); and (3) There would be no differences between male and female rugby players’ performance.
METHODS:
Eighteen (x̄ = 19.1 years ± 1.02; 9 males, 9 females) varsity rugby players participated in this study. In a virtual environment, participants approached a 90 cm doorway while a virtual person approached from the opposite side. When participants reached two meters from the doorway, the screen went blank, and they were instructed to respond as quickly and accurately as possible whether they would pass through the doorway first. The virtual person approached at four different speeds relative to the participant’s average walking speed (i.e., 0.8x, 0.9x, 1.1x, and 1.2x). After completing 20 trials they completed a 30-minute Stroop task, followed by a second block of the collision avoidance task. A 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) was used as a behavioural measure of mental fatigue.
RESULTS:
Statistical analyses showed a significant increase in PVT response time following the 30-minute Stroop task, however participants’ response times did not increase nor was there evidence to suggest a decline in accuracy. Participants were substantially less accurate when the VP approached at 1.1x their walking speed, but not when the VP approached at 0.9x their average walking speed. While no sex differences in accuracy were observed, there was evidence to suggest that female rugby players demonstrated faster response times following the Stroop task compared to male rugby players.
CONCLUSION:
The lack of differences in performance following mental fatigue is likely due to the low cognitive demands or the simple binary decision. Regardless of the time point, accuracy was reduced when the VP’s approach speed was slightly faster than the participant’s action boundary, which may reflect increased familiarity with walking while in the virtual environment. There is some support to suggest that female athletes responded faster following mental fatigue compared to males, which may reflect different strategies under fatigue or faster processing times.