2023-2030
Mental Fatigue Evaluation
Authors: Valery V. Rozhentsov
Number of views: 417
The article offers the method for evaluation of mental fatigue, based on the method of paired light pulses. Ten pre-trained test men with normal vision, aged 18–20 participated in the experiment. Testees were showed subsequent paired light pulses at a 200 ms interval, divided by initial interpulse interval of 70 ms, recurring at the fixed time interval of 1 s. Testees determined the threshold interpulse interval, at which the two pulses in a pair merged into one, three times, using the method of successive approximation. Then testees solved algebraic equations with several unknowns for two hours. The threshold interpulse interval was determined three times every 20 minutes in the course of equations solving. The degree of mental fatigue DMF was calculated, using the formula: DMFi = (TPIi – TPI0) 100% / TPIi; i = 1, 2, … , n, where DMFi is the degree of mental fatigue at the i-th measurement; TPIi is average arithmetic duration of threshold interpulse interval at the i-th measurement; TPI0 is average arithmetic duration of threshold interpulse interval before algebraic equations solving; n is the dimension of threshold interpulse interval measurement in the course of algebraic equations solving. After 20 minutes of work, the degree of mental fatigue of one of the testees was 9.5 %, rose to 21 % by the end of the first hour and exceeded 39 % by the end of the second hour. Similar dynamics of mental fatigue was observed in all testees, but its development and the degree of fatigue are individual. To prevent fatigue and ensure high level of efficiency one should set the individual schedule and rest pauses duration during mental activity.