The Counteractive Effect of Self-Regulation-Based Interventions on Prior Mental Exertion: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

Abstract

Background: Many investigations have been performed on the effects of mental exertion that consumes self-regulatory resources and then affects physical and/or cognitive performance later on. However, the effect of manipulating self-regulation and interventions to attenuate this negative effect remains unclear. Moreover, there is continuous controversy regarding the resource model of self-regulation. Objective: We conducted a systematic review to assess the literature on manipulating self-regulation based on four ingredients (standard, monitoring, strength, and motivation) in order to counter mental exertion and improve physical and/or cognitive performance. The results provide more insight into the resource model. Method: A thorough search was conducted to extract the relevant literature from several databases, as well as Google Scholar, and the sources from the references were included as grey literature. A self-regulation intervention compared to a control condition, a physical and/or cognitive task, and a randomised controlled trial were selected. Result: A total of 39 publications were included. Regarding the four components of self-regulation, the interventions could mainly be divided into the following: (i) standard: implementation intervention; (ii) monitoring: biofeedback and time monitoring; (iii) strength: repeated exercise, mindfulness, nature exposure, and recovery strategies; (iv) motivation: autonomy-supportive and monetary incentives. The majority of the interventions led to significant improvement in subsequent self-regulatory performance. In addition, the resource model of self-regulation and attention-restoration theory were the most frequently used theories and supported relevant interventions. Conclusion: In line with the resource model, manipulating the four components of self-regulation can effectively attenuate the negative influence of mental exertion. The conservation proposed in the strength model of self-regulation was supported in the current findings to explain the role of motivation in the self-regulation process. Future studies can focus on attention as the centre of the metaphorical resource in the model.

The effects of mental fatigue on sport-specific motor performance among team sport athletes: A systematic scoping review

“…Notably, Kunrath et al ( 2020 ) detected decreased vision perceptual in mentally fatigued athletes, which could confirm that besides RPE, attention could be a crucial factor attributed to the impairment of performance in team sport athletes (e.g., soccer). Consistently, the attention resources could be manipulated to combat MF and increase subsequent performance significantly (Sun et al, 2022b , c , e ).…”

“…Moreover, the potential extension of the model should be noticed. The reductions in technical performance were not attributed to the raised level of RPE (Sun et al, 2022c ). It could be confirmed in team sports due to the result shown in Table 2 .…”