A study of a light repetitive task

A study carried out on a light repetitive task indicated how the operators' physiological responses were influenced by the regularity and timing of the work. Changes in the cardiac R-R intervals indicated the existence of a warm up period at the beginning of the work. This was followed by a short stable period, after which an increase in R-R intervals took place. Although the length of these periods varied from subject to subject, and from the paced work condition to the unpaced, it was always possible to identify them. The identification was not possible, however, on the basis of the work output patterns. It is suggested that changes in the cardiac variable could be taken into account when setting up rest pauses for light monotonous tasks.