Sitting posture, postural discomfort, and visual performance: a critical view on the interdependence of cognitive and anthropometric factors in the VDU workplace.

The study focuses on individual and standard visual display unit (VDU) workplaces with respect to performance and muscular load. Three different work settings were realized: The workplace was either adjusted to individual preferences or to the European standard. The third condition mirrored exactly the individual setting, however participants were told that it was set according to another standard. Dependent variables were visual performance in a search task, the rated muscular load, and individual preferences. Results show that both individual work settings yielded a superior performance as compared to the standard. However, performance and muscular comfort improved when participants knew they had adjusted the workplace. Apparently, VDU users follow a intuitive rationale adjusting their work setting minimizing muscular load and optimizing performance.