What is mental effort: a clinical perspective

Although mental effort is a frequently used term, it is poorly defined and understood. Consequently, its usage is frequently loose and potentially misleading. In neuroscience research, the term is used to mean both the cognitive ‘work’ that is done in meeting task demands, and the subjective experience of performing that work. We argue that conflating these two meanings hampers progress in understanding cognitive impairments in neuropsychiatric conditions, because cognitive work and the subjective experience of it have distinct underlying mechanisms.

Source: Biological Psychiatry - February 1, 2024 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Noham Wolpe, Richard Holton, Paul C. Fletcher Tags: Review Source Type: research