One of the prominent questions in modern psycholinguistics is the relationship between the grammar and the parser. Within the approach of Generative Grammar, this issue has been investigated in terms of the role that Principles of Universal Grammar may play in language processing. The aim of this research experiment is to investigate this topic. Specifically, this experiment aims to test whether the Minimal Structure Principle (MSP) plays a role in the processing of Preposition-Stranding versus Pied-Piped Constructions. This investigation is made with a self-paced reading task, an on-line processing test that measures participants’ unconscious reaction to language stimuli. Monolingual English speakers’ reading times of sentences with Preposition-Stranding and Pied-Piped Constructions are compared. Results indicate that neither construction has greater processing costs, suggesting that factors other than the MSP are active during language processing.

Cloud computing is a way to deliver high-performance services to clients who would not usually be able to handle the computations on their own. They rely on computers in the cloud performing the calculations and therefore ease the load on the client-side. The goal of this thesis is to find what factors affect the players' experience and how they affect the player. To handle this, we have done a user-based study on cloud gaming. The users get to play a fast-paced single-player game and a fast-paced multiplayer game against each other, while we collect data about their experiences. During the tests, we manipulated the players' network conditions, and afterward, they answered questions regarding their quality of experience. From the data collected, we can see that the frame age is the most important measurement for determining the players' in-game performance as well as the quality of experience. We are also able to see that from the quality of service measurements manipulated, the latency is the one affecting the player the most. Results from the multiplayer test would indicate that we can equalize the skill difference between the players without affecting the players quality of experience too much. These results are based on the advantage in ping time as well as frame age. From a developers perspective, this thesis emphasized the need to take frame age into account, and to try to manipulate the different parts of the frame age. The goal would be to ultimately lower the frame age and make the gaming experience more enjoyable for the player.

The present dissertation investigates grammatical gender representation and processing in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as a first (L1) and a second (L2) language. It mainly examines whether L2 can process gender agreement in a native-like manner, and the extent to which L2 processing is influenced by the properties of the L2 speakers’ L1. Additionally, it examines whether L2 gender agreement processing is influenced by noun animacy (animate and inanimate) and word order (verb-subject and subject-verb). A series of experiments using both online and offline techniques were conducted to address these questions. In all of the experiments, gender agreement between verb and nouns was examined. The first series of experiments examined native speakers of MSA (n=49) using a self-paced reading task (SPR), an event-related potential (ERP) experiment, and a grammaticality judgment (GJ) task. Results of these experiments revealed that native speakers were sensitive to grammatical violations. Native speakers showed longer reaction times (RT) in the SPR task, and a P600 effect in the ERP, in responses to sentences with mismatched gender agreement as compared to sentences with matched gender agreement. They also performed at ceiling in the GJ task. The second series of experiments examined L2 speakers of MSA (n=74) using an SPR task, and a GJ task. Both experiments included adult L2 speakers whom were divided into two subgroups, -Gender and +Gender, based on whether or not their L1s has a grammatical gender system. The results of both experiments revealed that both groups were sensitive to gender agreement violations. The L2 speakers showed longer RTs, in the SPR task, in responses to sentences with mismatched gender agreement as compared to sentences with matched gender agreement. No difference was found between the L2 groups in this task. The L2 speakers also performed well in the GJ task, as they were able to correctly identify the grammatical and ungrammatical sentences. Interestingly in this task, the -Gender group outperformed +Gender group, which could be due to proficiency in the L2 as the former group obtained a better score on the proficiency task, or it could be that +Gender group showed negative transfer from their L1s. Based on the results of these two experiments, this dissertation argues that late L2 speakers are not restricted to their L1 grammar, and thus, they are able to acquire gender agreement system of their L2 even if this feature is not instantiated in their L1. The results provide converging evidence for the FTFA rather than FFFH model, as it appears that the -Gender group was able to reset their L1 gender parameter according to the L2 gender values. Although the L2 speakers were advanced, they showed slower RTs than the native speakers in the SPR task, and lower accuracy in the GJT. However, it is possible that they are still in the process of acquiring gender agreement of MSA and have not reached their final stage of acquisition. This is supported by the fact that some L2 speakers from both -Gender and +Gender groups performed as well as native speakers in both SPR and GJ tasks. Regarding the effect of animacy, the L2 speakers had slower RT and lower accuracy on sentences with inanimate nouns than on those with animate ones, which is in line with previous L2 studies (Anton-Medez, 1999; Alarcón, 2009; Gelin, & Bugaiska, 2014). The native speakers, on the other hand, showed no effect of animacy in both SPR task and GJT. Further, no N400 effect was observed as a result of semantic gender agreement violations in the ERP experiment. Finally, the results revealed a potential effect of word order. Both the native and L2 speakers showed longer RTs on VS word order than SV word order in the SPR task. Further the native speakers showed earlier and greater P600 effect on VS word order than SV word order in the ERP. This result suggests that processing gender agreement violation is more complex in the VS word order than in the SV word order due to the inherent asymmetry in the subject-verb agreement system in the two-word orders in MSA.

Three separate fMRI studies were conducted to study the neural dynamics of free decision formation. In Study 1, we first searched across the brain for spatiotemporal patterns that could predict the specific outcome and timing of free motor decisions to make a left or right button press (Soon et al., 2008). In Study 2, we replicated Study 1 using ultra-high field fMRI for improved temporal and spatial resolution to more accurately characterize the evolution of decision-predictive information in prefrontal cortex (Bode et al., 2011). In Study 3, to unequivocally dissociate high-level intentions from motor preparation and execution, we investigated the neural precursors of abstract intentions as participants spontaneously decided to perform either of two mental arithmetic tasks: addition or subtraction (Soon et al., 2013). Across the three studies, we consistently found that upcoming decisions could be predicted with ~60% accuracy from fine-grained spatial activation patterns occurring a few seconds before the decisions reached awareness, with very similar profiles for both motor and abstract intentions. The content and timing of the decisions appeared to be encoded in two functionally dissociable sets of regions: frontopolar and posterior cingulate/ precuneus cortex encoded the content but not the timing of the decisions, while the pre-supplementary motor area encoded the timing but not the content of the decisions. The choice-predictive regions in both motor and abstract decision tasks overlapped partially with the default mode network. High-resolution imaging in Study 2 further revealed that as the time-point of conscious decision approached, activity patterns in frontopolar cortex became increasingly stable with respect to the final choice.:Abstract 1 1. General Introduction 5 2. Study 1: Decoding the Unconscious Formation of Motor Intentions 21 3. Study 2: Temporal Stability of Neural Patterns Involved in Intention Formation 56 4. Study 3: Decoding the Unconscious Formation of Abstract Intentions 89 5. General Discussion 119 References 145

This dissertation investigates how grammatical functions in transitive sentences (i.e., `subject' and `direct object') are distributed in written Swedish discourse with respect to morphosyntactic as well as semantic and referential (i.e., prominence-based) information. It also investigates how assignment of grammatical functions during on-line comprehension of transitive sentences in Swedish is influenced by interactions between morphosyntactic and prominence-based information. In the dissertation, grammatical functions are assumed to express role-semantic (e.g., Actor and Undergoer) and discourse-pragmatic (e.g., Topic and Focus) functions of NP arguments. Grammatical functions correlate with prominence-based information that is associated with these functions (e.g., animacy and definiteness). Because of these correlations, both prominence-based and morphosyntactic information are assumed to serve as argument interpretation cues during on-line comprehension. These cues are utilized in a probabilistic fashion. The weightings, interplay and availability of them are reflected in their distribution in language use, as shown in corpus data. The dissertation investigates these assumptions by using various methods in a triangulating fashion. The first contribution of the dissertation is an ERP (event-related brain potentials) experiment that investigates the ERP response to grammatical function reanalysis, i.e., a revision of a tentative grammatical function assignment, during on-line comprehension of transitive sentences. Grammatical function reanalysis engenders a response that correlates with the (re-)assignment of thematic roles to the NP arguments. This suggests that the comprehension of grammatical functions involves assigning role-semantic functions to the NPs. The second contribution is a corpus study that investigates the distribution of prominence-based, verb-semantic and morphosyntactic features in transitive sentences in written discourse. The study finds that overt morphosyntactic information about grammatical functions is used more frequently when the grammatical functions cannot be determined on the basis of word order or animacy. This suggests that writers are inclined to accommodate the understanding of their recipients by more often providing formal markers of grammatical functions in potentially ambiguous sentences. The study also finds that prominence features and their interactions with verb-semantic features are systematically distributed across grammatical functions and therefore can predict these functions with a high degree of confidence. The third contribution consists of three computational models of incremental grammatical function assignment. These models are based upon the distribution of argument interpretation cues in written discourse. They predict processing difficulties during grammatical function assignment in terms of on-line change in the expectation of different grammatical function assignments over the presentation of sentence constituents. The most prominent model predictions are qualitatively consistent with reading times in a self-paced reading experiment of Swedish transitive sentences. These findings indicate that grammatical function assignment draws upon statistical regularities in the distribution of morphosyntactic and prominence-based information in language use. Processing difficulties in the comprehension of Swedish transitive sentences can therefore be predicted on the basis of corpus distributions.

De multiples événements sportifs majeurs vont se dérouler prochainement dans des environnements chauds voire tropicaux, justifiant l’intérêt scientifique actuel pour les questions associées à l’effet de la chaleur sur la performance en endurance. Il est admis que l’effort est subjectivement perçu comme plus difficile, en parallèle de la dégradation de la performance, à mesure que la température ambiante s’élève au cours d’une épreuve prolongée. Contrecarrer les effets délétères de la chaleur passe notamment par une exposition répétée dans des conditions écologiques ou simulées d’exercice (i.e. stratégie d’acclimatation). Toutefois, le décalage actuel entre les recommandations d’application issues d’études scientifiques et les conditions réelles de préparation et d’organisation des athlètes de haut niveau est à l’origine d’un faible engouement actuel pour de telles méthodes. Par conséquent, ce travail de thèse a eu pour ambition de répondre à certaines inconnues relatives à l’application de contenus d’entraînement classiques en ambiance chaude, en particulier (i) leur conséquence sur la capacité de performance de l’athlète et (ii) les moyens d’optimiser le contrôle et la régulation de la charge d’entraînement. Dans ce contexte, nous avons proposé à des sujets entraînés de soutenir la production de seuils de RPE (i.e. exercice à RPE fixe) dans un cadre expérimental puis d’entraînement. Au-delà de la validité de ce modèle, nous soutenons que la régulation volontaire de l’intensité dépend, au-delà de la perception de l’effort, de l’état émotionnel et de la motivation de l’individu. Lors d’une première étude, nous avons recherché à comparer les performances de solutions techniques pour le suivi de la température centrale en conditions écologiques (i.e. température gastro-intestinale vs. température frontale par capteur à annulation de flux). Les résultats obtenus ont validé l’usage du capteur à annulation de flux comme alternative pendant l’exercice, en dépit de l’absence de corrélation avec les mesures gastro-intestinales. Ceci suggère d’éventuelles perspectives en matière de contrôle de la température corporelle pendant l’exercice. La seconde étude s’est intéressée aux possibles conséquences de la répétition de sessions d’entraînement exigeantes et des contraintes logistiques d’un stage d’acclimatation (i.e. accumulation de fatigue mentale) sur la perception de l’effort et la performance. En dépit de l’absence d’effets combinés de la tâche cognitive préexercice et de la chaleur ambiante, les résultats tendent à démontrer le rôle-clé de la température cutanée et de la sensation de chaleur sous-jacente dans la régulation de la puissance soutenue à RPE-15 (chaud vs. tempéré : -0,022 vs. -0,008 W.kg-1.min-1). Enfin, la troisième étude suggère un potentiel intérêt de l’application de hautes intensités autorégulées, associée à une diminution du volume d’entraînement (-23%), lors d’une période d’acclimatation de courte durée (i.e. 5 jours). Le moindre effet observé, en comparaison d’un protocole à intensité fixe, sur la performance au cours d’un exercice de contre-la-montre (i.e. expérimental vs. fixe : 1,4 vs. 2,8 %) soulève toutefois l’importance du rapport volume-intensité dans la construction d’un protocole d’acclimatation. De manière générale, l’ensemble des résultats de cette thèse offrent des perspectives pour une individualisation et une adaptation spécifique à l’activité sportive des protocoles d’acclimatation à la chaleur. / The increasing number of major sport events that will take place in hot and/or tropical environments justify the current scientific interest in the effects of heat strain on endurance performance. During a prolonged self-paced exercise, it is well known that the subjectively perceived effort is higher as the ambient temperature increases and the performance level decreases. A repeated exposure to the heat in ecological and/or simulated exercise conditions may counteract the subsequent deleterious effects. However, the discrepancy between guidelines from scientific research and training priorities of well-trained athletes causes a lack of interest in these methods. Therefore, we aimed through the current thesis work to improve the current knowledge about heat acclimation strategies, more precisely about i) its effects on athlete’s performance capacity and ii) the optimization of training load monitoring and building. To shed light on these issues, we proposed to our trained and/or well-trained subjects to cycle at a fixed RPE first in an experimental framework, and then during a training program. We submit that the self-regulation of fixed-RPE exercise work rate depends not only of perceived exertion but also on emotional and motivational parameters. The first study aimed to compare the performance of technical devices for core temperature monitoring in ecological conditions (i.e. gastrointestinal point vs. forehead point from a zero-heat-flux sensor). Results showed that zero-heat-flux measurements might be considered as relevant during exercise. In this way, some opportunities may be considered for the monitoring of body temperature during field-based exercise. The second study investigated the subsequent effects of repeated strenuous training sessions and logistical constraints during a heat camp (i.e. higher mental fatigue) on perceived exertion and endurance performance. Despite the lack of combined effects from the prior cognitive task and the ambient condition during exercise, skin temperature and underlying heat sensation impact the linear decrease of power output at RPE-15 (hot vs. neutral: -0,022 vs. -0,008 W.kg-1.min-1). Lastly, the third study suggested an interest for self-regulated high intensities, associated with a decrease of the total exposure duration (-23%), during a short-term heat acclimation protocol (i.e. 5 days). However, the slighter effect on the improvement of performance in comparison with a classic constant-power training program, (HIT vs. constant-power: 1,4 vs. 2,8 %) provides scope for the building of training load (i.e. volume vs. intensity) in this context. In summary, the overall results of this thesis work open some perspectives for individualizing or adapting heat acclimation strategies to sport-specific conditions.

The present study investigates whether advanced adult L2 speakers comprehend the subtle linguistic cues that modal particles entail and seek to find if modal particles affect them in their responsibility attribution. Two groups of advanced L2 speakers of Swedish were tested; one group of L1 German speakers and one group of L1 English speakers. In an experiment that investigated responsibility attribution, participants read short stories that were manipulated with the modal particles nog and ju, to see if the use of these modal particles affected how they attributed  responsibility to a character in the short story. The L2 learners were tested to see if L1 background affects the L2 acquisition of modal particles. A control group of native Swedish speakers were also tested. As an exploratory and complementary measure, reading times were recorded for the critical sentences modified with ju and nog. The results show a main effect of group and a main effect of condition, but no interaction between the two. However, upon closer inspections of the numerical values in the groups, possible trends and curious directions are seen. The results yielded no significant differences between groups and conditions, and are presented as possible trends, and discussed. Contrary to the hypotheses, these trends are indicative of the English speakers being affected by the modal particles in the way that natives were expected to, while Germans showed a pattern that was different from native speakers. The results show no significant differences for the different conditions in the native control group. The results show no support for L1 transfer facilitation in the acquisition of modal particles.

[Truncated abstract] Controlled and automatic processing are broad categories, and how best to measure these constructs and their impact on functioning after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains uncertain. The purpose of this thesis was to examine automatic and controlled processing aspects of attention after mild TBI using the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT) and event-related potentials (ERPs). The PASAT is one of the most frequently used tests to evaluate attentional functioning. It has been demonstrated to be a measure sensitive to both acute and longer-term effects of mild TBI, presumably due to demands for rapid processing and executive attentional control. ERPs provide a noninvasive neurophysiological index of sensory processing and cognitive functions and have demonstrated sensitivity to even minor cognitive dysfunction. The parameters provided by this functional technique may be those most likely to distinguish individuals with mild TBI from controls. Initially, it was hypothesized that successful novice PASAT performance requires the engagement of executive attention to establish novel controlled information processing strategies. Ten individuals who had suffered a mild TBI an average of 15.20 months previously were therefore expected to demonstrate processing abnormalities on the PASAT, relative to 10 healthy matched controls. Although the mild TBI group reported significant intensification of subjective symptoms since their injury, compared to controls, the mild TBI group provided a similar amount of correct PASAT responses. ... In the first experiment a visual search task consisting of an automatic detection and a controlled search condition was developed. In the second experiment the search task was performed concurrently with the PASAT task in a dual-task paradigm. In the mild TBI group, prior failure to establish more efficient forms of information processing with practice was found to significantly interfere with simultaneous performance of the PASAT task and the attention demanding condition of the search task. The pattern of impaired performance was considered to reflect a reduction in processing resources rather than a deficit in resource allocation. Dual-task performance in the control group was not associated with a large interference effect. In general, the results of this thesis suggest that individuals with mild TBI are impaired in their ability to progress from the stage of effortful controlled information processing to a stage of more efficient, automatic processing, and thus suffer a subtle attentional deficit. Following mild TBI, performance levels equivalent to controls may only be achieved with an abnormal expenditure of cognitive effort. As a result of the neuropathologic consequences of injury, individuals who have sustained a mild TBI are less able to benefit from practice, experience difficulty coping with simultaneous performance of secondary task, and are susceptible to distressing subjective symptomatology.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:43:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1310227 bytes, checksum: 04da33952d4cd23496fa53ef618ff840 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation aims to explain how is the processing of coreference in people who stutter (PWS), reflecting on the possibility of an association between stuttering and the presence of difficulties in procedural memory, from the relationship between Alm's Dual Premotor Model (2005) and Ullman´s Declarative/Procedural Model (2001). It is proposed, then, a hypothesis about the connection between the presence of dysfunctions in procedural memory and the linguistic processing of PQG, which was investigated through the ASRT test (Alternating Serial Reaction Time) of procedural memory and two experiments of self-paced reading to the investigation of the phenomenon of inter and intrasentential coreference. In the ASRT test (experiment 1) performed to measure the degree of implicit learning of the participants, the findings suggested a tendency of the groups (PQC and FF) to behave distinctively. PQG showed a pattern of ascending curve, with a positive Spearman's coefficient for the variable cycle, expressing an increase in time of reaction as it increased the number of cycles (stimuli). Which we interpreted as a possible difficulty in the PQG in implicit learning of motor sequences. And the FF showed a descending curve, confirmed by a negative Spearman's coefficient for the variable cycle. Demonstrating that the procedural learning for this group occurred quickly, i.e., the reaction time of the FF reduced as there was an increase in the number of cycles. With these indications that PQG present difficulties in procedural memory, which could interfere in the processing of grammatical aspects according to our hypothesis, we set out to the investigation of the linguistic processing. In experiment 2, the intersentential coreference, performed with the aim at investigating the processing of lexical pronoun (PR) and the repeated name (NR) in the object position between FF and PQC, the results showed that there is no difference in this type of processing between FF and PQC, since both groups showed similar patterns in the average reading time of the critical segment. However, there were a significant effect for the variable tipo de retomada, showing that PR are processed faster than the NR, as previously found by Leitão (2005). Thus, in order to investigate how was grammar functioning in PQG and to attest the hypothesis defended in this dissertation, we set out to the analysis of the phenomenon of coreference in the intrassentential level, in order to isolate the grammatical aspect and eliminate possible interference from the pragmatic and contextual factors. The results pointed to the absence of main effect for the variable group, however, we found a marginally significant interaction effect between the variables group and type of sentence. This interaction can be explained by the fact that the groups react differently to the conditions, departing from the observation that there is an inverse behavior between them, i.e., to the extent that FF are faster in the grammatical condition and slower in agramatical condition, PQG show the opposite pattern. Which corroborates our hypothesis that PQG would have difficulties in perception of breach of grammatical principle. This possibility, confirmed by the statistical evidence foreseen for our findings with the increase of sample, that it directs our search for rejecting the null hypothesis. / Esta dissertação tem por objetivo explanar como se dá o processamento da correferência em pessoas que gaguejam (PQG), refletindo sobre a possibilidade de associação entre a gagueira e a presença de dificuldades na memória procedimental, a partir da relação entre o Modelo Pré-Motor Duplo de Alm (2005) e o Modelo Declarativo/Procedimental de Ullman (2001). Lança-se, então, uma hipótese acerca da conexão entre a presença de disfunções na memória procedimental e o processamento linguístico das PQG, investigada por meio do teste ASRT (Alternating Serial Reaction Time) de memória procedimental e dois experimentos de leitura automonitorada para a investigação do fenômeno da correferência inter e intrassentencial. No teste ASRT (experimento 1) realizado para medir o grau de aprendizagem implícita dos participantes, os resultados encontrados apontaram para uma tendência dos grupos (PQG e FF) a comportarem-se de maneira distinta. As PQG evidenciaram um padrão de curva ascendente, com coeficiente de Spearman positivo para a variável ciclo, expressando um aumento do tempo de reação à medida que se aumentava o número de ciclos (estímulos). O que interpretamos como uma possível dificuldade das PQG na aprendizagem implícita das sequências motoras. E os FF evidenciaram uma curva descendente, confirmada pelo coeficiente de Spearman negativo para a variável ciclo. Demonstrando que a aprendizagem procedimental para este grupo ocorreu de maneira mais rápida, ou seja, o tempo de reação dos FF reduzia à medida que se aumentava o número de ciclos. De posse desses indícios de que as PQG apresentam dificuldades na memória procedimental, o que poderia interferir no processamento dos aspectos gramaticais de acordo com a nossa hipótese, partimos para a investigação do processamento linguístico. No experimento 2, de correferência intersentencial, realizado com o intuito de investigar o processamento do pronome lexical (PR) e do nome repetido (NR) em posição de objeto entre FF e PQG, os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que não há diferença nesse tipo de processamento entre FF e PQG, uma vez que ambos os grupos apresentaram padrões semelhantes no tempo médio de leitura do segmento crítico. No entanto, houve efeito significativo para a variável tipo de retomada, constatando que os PR são mais rapidamente processados do que o NR, conforme já encontrado em Leitão (2005). Dessa forma, a fim de investigar como se dava o funcionamento da gramática nas PQG e atestar de modo mais categórico a hipótese defendida nesta dissertação, partimos para a análise do fenômeno da correferência em nível intrassentencial, objetivando isolar o aspecto gramatical e eliminar as possíveis interferências dos fatores pragmáticos e contextuais. Os resultados obtidos apontaram a ausência de efeito principal para a variável grupo, no entanto, constatou-se um efeito de interação marginalmente significativo entre as variáveis grupo e tipo de sentença. Essa interação pode ser explicada pelo fato de os grupos reagirem diferentemente às condições, partindo da observação que há um comportamento invertido entre eles, ou seja, na medida em que os FF s são mais rápidos na condição gramatical e mais lentos na condição agramatical, as PQG apresentam o padrão oposto. O que corrobora com a nossa hipótese de que as PQG teriam dificuldades na percepção da violação do princípio gramatical. Possibilidade essa, confirmada por meio das evidências estatísticas previstas para os nossos resultados com o aumento da amostra, que direciona a nossa pesquisa para a rejeição da hipótese nula.

Les ressentis affectifs lors d’un exercice physique ont été révélés comme prédicteurs de l’engagement dans une pratique régulière (Mohiyeddini, Pauli, & Bauer, 2009). Toutefois, alors que certains ont la possibilité d’expérimenter positivement une séance, d’autres ne le sont pas (Van Landuyt, Ekkekakis, Hall , & Petruzzello, 2000). Une des explications avancées par la théorie du double mode (Ekkekakis, 2003) est que les différences observées entre les individus sont dues à l'interaction existante entre leurs capacités physiques et leurs caractéristiques psychologiques. Dans ce contexte, mon travail de thèse visait à comprendre comment une caractéristique psychologique telle que la tolérance à l'effort peut impacter les réponses affectives d’un individu lors de la réalisation d'un exercice physique modéré. La tolérance est définie comme un trait qui influence la capacité de l'individu à continuer à s'exercer à un niveau d'intensité imposé même si l'activité devient inconfortable ou désagréable (Ekkekakis, Hall et Petruzzello, 2005). À ce jour, mon travail a révélé que le concept de tolérance semble être un concept valable dans un échantillon européen francophone (étude I) et ce quelle que soit la pratique physique hebdomadaire auto-déclarée par les individus. Mon travail montre également que la tolérance à l’effort impacte effectivement les ressentis durant un exercice physique modéré (études II et IV). De plus, il semblerait que plus les individus sont tolérants à l'effort, plus ils sont capables de produire un exercice physique intense (études III et IV). Fait intéressant, les résultats ont révélé que le niveau de tolérance semble être associé à l'efficacité du fonctionnement cognitif. Plus précisément, plus les individus possèdent des fonctions exécutives efficaces, plus ils possèdent un niveau élevé de tolérance à l'effort (étude III). Enfin, l'effet positif d'un environnement de distraction musicale sur la perception de la difficulté de l'exercice physique n'a été révélé que chez les personnes très tolérantes (étude IV); suggérant que la musique peut ne pas être adaptée à tous. En conclusion, à travers la réalisation d'une évaluation psychométrique de la version francophone (étude I), d'un paradigme dual (étude II) et d'une évaluation neuropsychologique des capacités cognitives des individus (étude III), mon travail de thèse a révélé que la tolérance à l’effort semble être un concept francophone valide prédisant la réponse affective positive ou négative à l'exercice physique ; et ce que l’exercice se réalise dans le silence ou en la musique (Études II et IV) / Affective responses to physical exercise have been reported as predictors of the degree of engagement a personis ready to set in regular practice (Mohiyeddini, Pauli, & Bauer, 2009). According to the dual mode theory, theindividuals’ differences occurring during the exercise are due to the interplay between one’s physical abilitiesand one’s psychological characteristics (Ekkekakis, 2003) with some experiencing positively the session whileothers do not (Van Landuyt, Ekkekakis, Hall, & Petruzzello, 2000). Hence, my thesis work targeted the betterunderstanding of the effect of one of the psychological characteristics, the Tolerance to effort, on one’saffective responses during moderate physical exercise. Furthermore, I tried to reveal that a neuropsychologicaldefinition of the Tolerance to effort can be possible, even required for prescribing exercise program. Toleranceis defined as a trait that influences one’s ability to continue exercising at an imposed level of intensity even ifthe activity becomes uncomfortable or unpleasant (Ekkekakis, Hall, & Petruzzello, 2005). To date, my workhas revealed that the concept of Tolerance seems to be a valid concept in a French-speaking European sample(Study I). Interestingly, the results were revealed whatever the individuals’ self-reported weekly physicalpractice. My work also shows that the way one experiences a physical exercise depends on one’s tolerancelevel (Studies II and IV). Furthermore, the more individuals were tolerant to effort, the more they were able toproduce intense physical exercise (Studies III and IV). Interestingly, results revealed that one’s tolerance levelseems to be associated with one’s efficiency of cognitive functioning. More specifically, the more individualspossess efficient executive functions, the more they possess high level of Tolerance to effort (Study III).Finally, the positive effect of a musical distracting environment on one’s perception of physical exercisedifficulty was revealed only in high tolerant individuals (Study IV); suggesting that music may not be adaptedto all. To conclude, through the conduction of a psychometric assessment of the French-speaking version(Study I), a dual task paradigm (Study II) and a neuropsychological assessment of individuals cognitiveabilities (Study III), my thesis work has revealed that one’s tolerance level seems to be a French-speaking validconcept predicting the positive or negative affective response to physical exercise either in silence or in music(Studies II and IV) and defining one’s tolerance to effort from a cognitive standpoint.