.29 Perceived exertion while exercising. Can the introduc- tion of pleasant sensory stimuli lead to a more pleasant exercise environment and decrease perceived exertion during a four-minute stepping task? Forty-three stu- dents from a Southeastern university were assigned at random to three conditions: "taste," in which partici- pants inserted a lemon-flavored mouth guard during the task; "placebo," in which participants inserted a non-flavored mouth guard; and "control," in which no mouth guard was used. Twelve students were assigned to the taste group, 15 to the placebo group, and 16 to the control group. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) scores were measured on standard 15-point scale rang- lighe 20 JY 13