Plateau effect

The plateau effect is a force of nature that lessens the effectiveness of once effective measures over time. The plateau effect is a state that is experienced when the human body fails to respond to exercise that has proven effective in the past, similar to the concept of diminishing returns. A person enters into a period where there is no improvement or a decrease in performance.

The plateau effect may appear in learning, when students experience a dwindling (less steady) benefit from their learning effort. Studies of elementary school students have found there is a plateau effect in reading level during the upper elementary years. This effect is shown in the forgetting curve developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus, who established the hypothesis of the exponential nature of forgetting. Ebbinghaus hypothesized that the use of the ancient mnemonic device, Method of Loci, and spaced repetition can help overcome the plateau effect.

The plateau effect is also experienced in acclimation, which is the process that allows organisms to adjust to changes in its environment. In humans, this is seen when the nose becomes acclimated to a certain smell. This immunity is the body's natural defense to distraction from stimulus. This is similar to drug tolerance, when a person's reaction to a specific drug is progressively reduced, requiring an increase in the amount of the drug they receive. Over the counter medications, in particular, have a maximum possible effect, regardless of dose.

In fitness, the plateau is commonly referenced when a person's body no longer responds to certain stimulus because it becomes accustomed to it. Overcoming the plateau usually involves a change in the person's workout, including adding periods of rest, changing volume of exercises, or increasing/decreasing the weight used in strength exercises.

An example of the plateau effect is found in the paradox of the pesticides. In Software Testing Techniques, author Boris Bazor writes that every method used to find bugs leaves a residue of subtler bugs against which those methods become ineffectual. This can lead to "superbugs", indicating that traditional methods have gradually lost their effectiveness.

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