Effort perception

Abstract

Abstract Research addressing children’s perceptions of exercise effort (their ‘perceived exertion’) has appeared steadily in the scientific literature over the last 44 years. Accepting that the established Borg adult rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale was not appropriate for children, investigators set about developing child-specific scales which employed numbers, words, and/or images that were more familiar and understandable. Numerous studies have examined the validity and reliability of scales such as the CERT, PCERT, and OMNI among children aged 5–16 years, across different modes of exercise (cycling, running, stepping, resistance exercise), protocols (intermittent vs continuous, incremental vs non-incremental), and paradigms (estimation vs production). Such laboratory-based research has enabled the general conclusion that children can, especially with practice, use effort perception scales to differentiate between exercise intensity levels, and to self-regulate their exercise output to match various levels indicated on them. However, inconsistencies in the methodological approaches adopted diminish the certainty of some of the interpretations made by researchers. In addition, though often mentioned, the would-be application of effort perception in physical education and activity/health promotion contexts has been relatively ignored. Accordingly, the scope for research in this applied domain remains considerable.