It is generally accepted that the load of mental work is estimated from the changes of physiological function during or after the work. Points to be considerated in this estimation were studied.
Subjects were 5 healthy male adults. As mental work the target aiming task was assigned. This task is thought to reveal the function of concentration maintenance and is assigned for one, three, or fifteen minutes.
Means of the task performance (L), deviations of performance (D), and the reliability of the task control (D/L) were determined respectively from the recorded curve. On the other hand, heart rates and blinking frequencies were observed polygraphically.
The results were as follows :
1) The mean of the task performance (L) decreased with the prolongation of the aiming duration.
2) The frequency of blinkings decreased significantly during the aiming task. However, the similar phase in frequency of the control condition appeared irregularly during the aiming task. Grouping of blinkings was frequently observed with the prolongation of aiming duration.
3) Immediately before the beginning of the task, heart rate increased rapidly on giving the subject instructions to prepare for the aiming. After the beginning of the aiming, heart rate decreased rapidly and reached to a lower level than that of the control condition. However, heart rate increased gradually with the prolongation of aiming duration and reached to the similar level as the control condition. Immediately after the end of the aiming task, heart rate increased rapidly, and the degree of this increment correlated with the duration of the aiming task. And more- over, the individual difference in this increment was found to be based on the individual autonomic balance.
4) The deviation of heart rate decreased in the early stage of the aiming period.
5) It was shown that the work-performance related to the autonomic balance.
From these results, it may be concluded that the individual characteristics of the physiological response have to be taken into consideration when the load of mental work is estimated from the change of the physiological functions.
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