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<p>Although mental fatigue is known to negatively impact performance, it remains unclear how cognitive resources interact with fatigue levels across the adult lifespan. Using a dual-task paradigm, we manipulated cognitive load (low vs. high) to induce varying levels of mental fatigue in young, middle-aged, and older adults. We assessed self-reported fatigue, sleepiness, and motivation pre- and post-task, while exploring task-related fluctuations in task accuracy and eye-metrics (pupil size, pupillary response speed, and long blinks). Younger adults reported higher subjective fatigue and had lower task performance than older adults did. There was no significant interaction effect between age and cognitive load condition on performance. Results indicated that pupil size and long blinks are useful indicators of cognitive load in younger and middle-aged adults but may be less reliable in older adults. These findings suggest exploring alternative measures to better capture cognitive and physiological responses to mental fatigue in older populations.</p>

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Exploring the Effects of Cognitive Load on Mental Fatigue Across the Lifespan: A Behavioral and Ocular Metrics Approach

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月25日

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  • Maëlle Charonitis,
  • Camille Guillemin,
  • Grégory Hammad,
  • Fabienne Collette

摘要

Although mental fatigue is known to negatively impact performance, it remains unclear how cognitive resources interact with fatigue levels across the adult lifespan. Using a dual-task paradigm, we manipulated cognitive load (low vs. high) to induce varying levels of mental fatigue in young, middle-aged, and older adults. We assessed self-reported fatigue, sleepiness, and motivation pre- and post-task, while exploring task-related fluctuations in task accuracy and eye-metrics (pupil size, pupillary response speed, and long blinks). Younger adults reported higher subjective fatigue and had lower task performance than older adults did. There was no significant interaction effect between age and cognitive load condition on performance. Results indicated that pupil size and long blinks are useful indicators of cognitive load in younger and middle-aged adults but may be less reliable in older adults. These findings suggest exploring alternative measures to better capture cognitive and physiological responses to mental fatigue in older populations.