Measuring Behavior 2005: Yu et al.

Relationship between rating of perceived exertion and skin temperature changes induced by the static contraction of human muscles

M. Yu, K. Cui and L. Sun

Human Factors Lab, the School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, the People’s Republic of China

Creating a simple and precise model of RPE and STCs pattern related with muscular contraction to develop studies of complex locomotor thermoregulation is considerably challenging. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a useful technique in studies of human physiology. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and skin temperature changes (STCs) of the humerus muscles were measured by infrared thermography (IRT) as the subject took a static task of holding a dumbbell using the right arm. This study has taken advantage of IRT to .nd the relationship between RPE and STCs induced by the static contraction of human muscles to unveil general characteristics of RPE and STCs. In conclusion, it was evident that STCs did not synchronize with RPE. The skin temperature decreased in the lifting period and increased during the resting period. The skin temperature peak did not appear in the lifting period, but it came forth in the resting period after RPE decreasing. RPE changing presented the same pattern with STCs while there was an obvious retardancy between them.

Paper presented at Measuring Behavior 2005 , 5^th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research, 30 August - 2 September 2005, Wageningen, The Netherlands.