Physiological, Psychological, and Symptomatic Factors Affecting Prolonged Physical Performance.

During long-term physical performance tasks individuals rely on feedback mechanisms which enable them to adjust the work load level. This feedback process is hypothesized 1 to be important when successful completion of the task andor time limitations are imposed on the individual 2 to reflect on-going physiological changes and 3 to be affected by an individuals personality which can modify the perception of sensory information. Only one subscale from the three personality tests, i.e., the Disinhibition subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale SSS-DIS, was related to total ride time. However, contrary to the inhibitionsatiation model proposed, the relationship was negative. Specifically, individuals that performed best on this physical endurance task were those who tended to show the lowest scores the more inhibited persons. This suggests that the original model that has as its basis the inhibitionsatiation hypothesis may not be sufficient. Perhaps specific psychosocial, work intensity, and stimulus intensity factors must also be considered.