The Theory of the STOP-Emotion: On the Functionality of Fatigue

摘要

The inducement of mental fatigue is a very functional mechanism in the self-regulation of behavior. It urges the operator to protect working memory and other cognitive-energetical resources against overload by inciting him to strategic behavioral adaptations in order to meet the demands of the task and the task situation under changing organismic and environmental constraints, which inevitably occur during the performance of tasks. It may therefore help the operator to maintain his or her task behavior as purposeful and coherent activity over time.