Work

The impact of acute high-intensity activity on perceptual decision-making dynamics

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates the acute impact of high-intensity activity on perceptual decision-making, using computational modeling to assess changes during and after physical activity. Participants performed a two-alternative forced choice perceptual decision-making task at rest (pre- and post-exercise) and during six of eight 5-minute cycling bouts (totaling 47 minutes) under dual-task condition, while maintaining an average intensity of 86 (7%) of their maximum heart rate. Drift diffusion modeling was applied to accuracy and reaction time data to estimate changes in evidence accumulation (drift rate), decision threshold (boundary separation), and non-decision processes (ter). Results revealed improved post-exercise performance, characterized by shorter non-decision time, potentially reflecting a transient improvement in motor or perceptual efficiency. During ongoing physical activity, results indicate that exercise is associated with a decrease in non-decision time and an increase in the efficiency of evidence accumulation, while response caution remains stable. These findings provide novel insights into how sustained high-intensity exercise modulates perceptual decision-making dynamics under physiological stress.

Source: Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience

DOI: 10.3758/s13415-025-01372-3

Authors: Karen Davranche, Dorian Giraud, Arnaud Hays, Thibault Gajdos Preuss