On perceived exertion and its measurement

Abstract

The general aim of the thesis is to answer questions on general and differential aspects of perceived exertion and on the measurement of its intensity variation. Overall perceived exertion is commonly treated as a unidemensional construct. This thesis also explores its multidimensional character. Four empirical studies are summarized (Study I-IV). Psychophysical power functions of perceived exertion obtained with the new improved Borg CR100 (centiMax) scale were found to be consistent with results obtained with absolute magnitude estimation, and with the classical Borg CR10 and RPE scales. Women gave significantly higher perceived exertion scale values than men for the same levels of workload on a bicycle ergometer. This agrees with the fact that they were physically less strong than men. With regard to the measurement of "absolute" levels of intensity, RPE-and CR-scale values were validated by physiological measurements of heart rate and blood lactate. Predicted values of maximal individual performance obtained from psychophysical functions agreed well with actual maximal performance on the bicycle ergometer. This confirms the validity of the RPE and CR scales for measuring perceptual intensity and their value for interindividual comparisons. To study the multidimensional character of perceived exertion, 18 symptoms were measured with a CR scale: in a questionnaire, and in bicycle ergometer work tests. Five factors were extracted for the questionnaire: (1) Muscles and joints; (2) Perceived exertion; (3) Annoyance/lack of motivation; (4) Head/stomach symptoms; and (5) Cardiopulmonary symptoms. Four factors were extracted for the bicycle max test: (1) Physical distress; (2) Central perceived exertion; (3) Annoyance/lack of motivation; (4) Local perceived exertion. The questionnaire is suggested for clinical use to let patients express a variety of symptoms. The thesis also resulted in improvements of the Borg CR100 scale. An extended use of the scale is recommended.

Attentional focus strategies used by regular exercisers and their relationship with perceived exertion, enjoyment, and satisfaction

“…However, Saris et al (2003) showed that men engaged in more vigorous activities than females. In contrast, Borg (2007) found that females reported higher perceived exertion than males under the same workload.…”

“…The range of the scale is structured such that a rating of 6 corresponded to 60 beats per minute and 20, being the highest score, corresponded to 200 beats per minute (Atchley, 2011). Borg (2007) confirmed the validity of the RPE in measuring perceived intensity using physiological and self-report measures. Strong correlations were found between heart rate and RPE (r =.80 to .90; Atchley, 2011).…”

“…Duncan, Hall, Wilson, and Jenny (2010) suggested that females are internally driven to exercise for aesthetic purposes (e.g., being thin) and social acceptance amongst their peers. Borg (2007) found that when reporting physical symptoms, females were more attentive to their internal states than males. Conversely, males are more likely to be motivated to exercise for competition and external demand (e.g., keeping up with friends) (Duncan et al, 2010).…”

Shoulder girdle muscle activity and fatigue in traditional and improved design carpet weaving workstations

“…Borg's CR-10 scale was developed for rating subjective symptoms from 0 to 10 with the numbers anchored by verbal expressions; i.e., 0 is nothing at all, 5 is strong, and 10 is extremely strong -maximal [15]. This scale was used as a subjective assessment of fatigue in other fatiguerelated studies [14,[18][19][20].…”

“…Subjective data were collected using Borg's CR-10 scale at the second hour and at the end of work. Borg's CR-10 scale has been suggested to determine perceived exertion such as fatigue, especially in work tests [15].…”