Two experiments tested the hypothesis that task-induced mental fatigue is moderated by control over work scheduling. Participants worked for 2 hr on simulated office work, with control manipulated by a yoking procedure. Matched participants were assigned to conditions of either high control (HC) or low control (LC). HC participants decided their own task scheduling, whereas LC participants had to follow these fixed schedules. For Experiment 1, fatigue was higher in LC participants who worked harder, so Experiment 2 compared control effects in high- and low-workload groups. As predicted, the impact of workload was reduced under HC conditions, for subjective fatigue, and most secondary tasks and aftereffects. The findings are interpreted within the framework of compensatory control theory.

Research into mental toughness has largely been confined to elite sport but should theoretically be important across other performance domains. We examined mental toughness in 161 first year sport students at a UK University using a self-report questionnaire (MTQ48). A measure of achievement (year grade) and progression (pass, fail, or re-sit) was also obtained for each participant. Significant and positive correlations were found between total mental toughness, grades, and progression. Results suggest that the MTQ48 may be a useful screening device to identify students at risk of failing and dropping out of their program. Interventions that target life control and interpersonal confidence would appear to be most salient

A study was carried out to examine the impact of occasional night work on simulated process control using a complex task environment. The 21 student participants were tested during 2 6-hr simulated shifts (daytime and night). In addition to the primary system management task, the simulation allowed measurement of fault diagnosis behavior, monitoring and control actions, and two secondary tasks--alarm reaction time and system status checks (prospective memory)--as well as subjective state. Consistent with predictions from compensatory control theory, night work did not impair system performance, although monitoring and control were reduced (supported by subjective reports of increased use of risky "corner-cutting" strategies). Secondary tasks showed an increase in alarm reaction time during night work, but there was no effect on prospective memory and no clear pattern of change in subjective state. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of complex systems for nighttime operation.

All football teams that compete within the F. A. Premier League possess an academy, whose objective is to produce more and better home-grown players that are capable of playing professionally. These young players spend a large amount of time with their coach, but little is known about player’s perception of the coach–athlete relationship within F. A. Premier League Academies. The objectives of this study were to examine whether perceptions of the coach–athlete relationship changed over six months and if the coach–athlete relationship predicted self-reported goal achievement among F. A. Premier League academy players. This study included cross-sectional (n = 104) and longitudinal (n = 52) assessments, in which academy soccer players completed a measure of the coach–athlete relationship and goal achievement across either one or two time periods. The cross-sectional data were subjected to bivariate correlations, whereas the longitudinal data were analyzed using multiple regressions. Perceptions of the coach–athlete relationship remained stable over time. The coach–athlete relationship predicted the achievement of mastery goals six months later. Enhancing the quality of the coach–athlete relationship among elite adolescent athletes appears to be a suitable way of maximizing mastery achievement goals, particularly among developmental athletes who participate in team sports.

Fifty-nine men completed a VO test and a questionnaire to establish reasons for test termination, perceived exercise reserve (difference between actual test duration and the duration the individual perceived could have been achieved if continued until physical limitation), and perception of verbal encouragement. Participants gave between 1 and 11 factors as reasons for test termination, including leg fatigue, various perceptions of physical discomfort, safety concerns, and achievement of spontaneously set goals. The two most common main reasons were leg fatigue and breathing discomfort, which were predicted by pre-to-post test changes in pulmonary function (p = 0.038) and explosive leg strength (p = 0.042; R = 0.40). Median (interquartile range) perceived exercise reserve, was 45 (50) s. Two-thirds of participants viewed verbal encouragement positively, whereas one-third had a neutral or negative perception. This study highlights the complexity of exercise tolerance during VO testing and more research should explore these novel findings.