Efficacy of a Brief Biofeedback Intervention on Mood, Arousal, Mental Workload, Movement Time, and Biofeedback Device Preference.

Biofeedback (BF) training has been utilized with performers for years. Previous literature highlights the effectiveness of multi-week intervention protocols, but there is a lack of evidence for abbreviated interventions using portable devices and the performer's preference of these devices. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a brief BF intervention on mental workload, mood, arousal, and movement time and BF device preference. Participants (N = 40) were randomly assigned to one of two heart rate variability (HRV) BF interventions or a control group. Although the brief intervention did not have a significant effect on mood, movement time, or mental workload, it did significantly and positively impact perceived arousal. Overall, 12 participants (48%) preferred the EmWave™ desktop device, eight (32%) preferred the Inner Balance™ device, and five (20%) preferred the EmWave2™ portable device. Results support limited effectiveness of a brief HRV BF protocol, although the dose-response effectiveness should continue to be explored.

An Exploratory Comparison of Subjective Mental Fatigue Following a Task Designed to Replicate the Observation of Game Film.

Laboratory-induced subjective mental fatigue (MF) has been shown to decrease sport-related performance (23, 38), yet there is a lack of research identifying tasks in real-world sport environments that induce MF (37). Since the identification of real-world tasks that induce MF may inform activities undertaken in the daily training and competition environments, the purpose of the current study was to compare changes in MF following a task designed to replicate the observation of game film to changes in MF following completion of a laboratory-based task (e.g., Stroop test). On separate counterbalanced visits, participants (N = 6) completed either (1) 35 min of replicated game film observation or (2) 35 min of the Stroop test. Visual analogue scales were used to measure MF, and a repeated measures analysis of variance [2 (time) x 2 (task)] was used to compare changes in MF following each task. No significant difference in changes in MF were found between conditions, F(1, 5) = 1.226, p = 0.319, and no main effect differences were found in MF pre-to-post for either task, F(1, 5) = 2.211, p = 0.197. Further efforts to identify real-world mentally fatiguing tasks are warranted.