Autokinesis and Some Conditions of Fatigue

Abstract

Effects of physical, mental, and vigilance fatigue on the autokinetic reports of 48 undergraduate students are described. Eight response measures were taken of the subjects with an apparatus that permitted recording of the apparent motion of the autokinetic stimulus in the same plane as the light source. Presence of the fatigue states was verified by independent measurements. Fatigue conditions facilitated quick and continuous perception of the autokinetic movements. The most perceptual complexity in the patterns of apparent motion was observed under mental fatigue followed by physical and vigilance fatigue, with least in the neutral condition.