Distinct and combined effects of mental and physical fatigue on prospective time perception in basketball players

This study examined the distinct and combined effects of mental and physical fatigue on prospective time perception in basketball players. Thirty-four male basketball players (22.48 ± 1.69 years) completed a repeated-measures protocol involving three conditions: mental fatigue induced by a Stroop task, physical fatigue induced by plyometric exercise, and combined mental–physical fatigue. Prospective time perception was assessed using a time reproduction task before and after each condition, with sessions separated by at least 72 h under standardized laboratory conditions. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of fatigue and measurement time on signed time-estimation error (p <.001), as well as a significant fatigue × time × duration interaction (p <.001). Additional analyses showed that fatigue-related changes in absolute time-estimation error also varied according to fatigue condition, measurement time, and target duration, whereas trial-to-trial variability remained unchanged across fatigue conditions. Mental fatigue produced systematic underestimation of temporal intervals, whereas physical fatigue significantly increased signed time-estimation error only for the longest interval (24 s). In contrast, the combined fatigue condition did not exhibit a consistent directional pattern across target durations. These findings suggest that mental fatigue and physical fatigue exert distinct effects on prospective time perception, whereas the combined condition was characterized by a less uniform pattern of temporal estimation that did not yield a consistent directional shift or increased trial-to-trial variability. Accordingly, the findings from the combined condition should be interpreted cautiously, particularly in light of the fixed-order design and the absence of a distinct, statistically robust temporal profile beyond the isolated fatigue conditions.