Manipulating self-efficacy in the exercise environment in women: influences on affective responses.

Self-efficacy was experimentally manipulated in an exercise context, and its effect on affective responses was examined. College women (N = 46) were randomly assigned to a high- or low-efficacy condition, and efficacy expectations were manipulated by means of bogus feedback and graphs depicting contrived normative data. The manipulation successfully influenced affective responses, with participants in the high-efficacy group reporting more positive and less negative affect than did the low-efficacy group. Efficacy was significantly related to feeling-state responses during and after activity but only in the high-efficacy condition. The results suggest that self-efficacy can be manipulated and that these changes are related to the affective experience associated with exercise. Such findings may have important implications for the roles played by self-efficacy and affect in exercise adherence.     

The Effect of Suspense on Enjoyment Following a Desirable Outcome: The Mediating Role of Relief

Although endemic to many forms of media entertainment, suspense represents a paradox for enjoyment because it is experienced as an aversive state. Three studies are presented across two media contexts demonstrating how outcomes to suspenseful episodes affect viewers' relief. Study 1 shows that relief is elicited only when a film's outcome is unambiguously favorable and under such conditions is positively related to enjoyment. No such relationship was found given an ambiguous outcome. Study 1 provides evidence that relief is distinct from other affective responses (i.e., positive and negative affect, surprise) that may be present following suspense. Studies 2 and 3 use competitive contests as a context and provide evidence that relief mediates the effect of suspense on enjoyment. Study 2 shows that the previously positive effects of suspense and expectation disconfirmation on enjoyment are obviated in the presence of relief. Study 3 varies suspense in real time across 14 simulated races. Also manipulated are affective dispositions toward the racers and race outcome. The results reveal that relief mediates the effect of suspense on enjoyment, but only when the outcome favors a preferred competitor. The research enhances our understanding of the intertwining of cognition and affect in the enjoyment of suspense.     

Exercisers' perceptions of their fitness instructor's interacting style, perceived competence, and autonomy as a function of self-determined regulation to exercise, enjoyment, affect, and exercise frequency

Puente, R. & Anshel, M. H. (2010). Exercisers' perceptions of their fitness instructor's interacting style, perceived competence, and autonomy as a function of self-determined regulation to exercise, enjoyment, affect, and exercise frequency. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 38–45.
The primary purpose of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis, derived from Self-Determination Theory (SDT), that an individual's perceived competence and autonomy mediate the relationship between the exercisers' perception of their instructor's interaction style and the exercisers' motivation to exercise. A secondary purpose was to identify the affective and behavioral outcomes derived from self-determined regulation. It was hypothesized that SDT would significantly explain and predict exercise behavior. Participants consisted of 238 college students, 103 males and 135 females ( M age = 20.4 years, SD = 2.16), who volunteered to participate in the study. They were asked to complete a battery of questionnaires measuring instructor's interacting style, self-regulation to exercise, perceived autonomy and competence, enjoyment, positive and negative affect, and exercise frequency. Using structural equation modeling with observed variables, the results showed that perceived competence and autonomy mediated the relationship between perceived instructor's interacting style and self-determined regulation. It was also found that self-determined regulation was significantly related to exercise enjoyment, positive affect, and exercise frequency. It was concluded that understanding the motivational factors and emotional and behavioral consequences of physical activity will partially explain an individual's motives to engage regularly in exercise.     

Does mindfulness attenuate thoughts emphasizing negativity,but not positivity?

The current research investigated whether mindfulness is differentially associated with thoughts that emphasize positive or negative valence. In Study 1, trait mindfulness was inversely associated with negative rumination but unassociated with positive rumination, controlling for state affect. In Study 2, participants completed either a mindful breathing meditation or a comparable control exercise, followed by a thought listing while viewing affective images. Compared to the control condition, the mindfulness condition listed proportionately fewer negative thoughts, particularly in response to negative images, and more non-valenced thoughts. The conditions did not differ in their proportions of positive thoughts. These results suggest that mindfulness may attenuate thoughts that emphasize negativity but not those that emphasize positivity.     

Social power increases implicit prejudice

The effects of power on implicit and explicit attitudes towards racial groups were examined. In Study 1, participants who had power showed a stronger facilitation of positive words after exposure to White faces, and negative words after exposure to Black faces, compared to participants who did not have power. In Study 2, powerful participants, compared to controls and powerless participants, showed more positive affective responses to Chinese pictographs that followed White compared to Black faces. Power did, however, not affect explicit racial attitudes. In Study 3, powerful participants showed greater racial prejudice toward Arabs in an Implicit Association Test than did powerless participants. This effect was driven by the power of the perceiver rather than the power of the target. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Post-Exercise Affect: The Effect of Mode Preference

It has been suggested that the performance of preferred modes of exercise will serve to maximize the affective response to exercise. Support has come from work that has shown the effect of exercise on affect to be mediated by enjoyment. However, there is a need to compare modes of exercise that differ in preference and enjoyment, yet are similar in intensity, duration and muscle group. This experiment was designed to achieve this aim. Thirty-four college-aged women completed 20 minutes of exercise on high and low preference modes of continuous exercise. Intensity was maintained at 65–75% of HRR. Affect was measured by the PANAS, collected prior to and at 5, 20, and 40 min post exercise. Results provided partial support for the hypothesis as mode preference moderated the improvement in positive affect, with no effect on the reduction in negative affect. Interestingly, regardless of mode preference, enjoyment ratings were found to mediate the change in both positive and negative affect.     

身体活动对情绪的影响及其脑机制

身体活动不仅有助于提高人的生理机能, 还具有改善心境、调节情绪的功能。有规律的身体活动不仅能够增强个体的积极情绪, 提升幸福感和自尊感, 也可以缓解消极情绪、矫治情绪障碍。关于身体活动对情绪影响的脑神经机制, 研究者先后提出神经递质假说、大脑可塑性假说、前额叶偏侧化假说和双模型假说。进一步的研究需要控制运动强度对身体活动情绪效益的影响, 比较不同类型身体活动的情绪调节效果, 同时考察基因、神经生长及社会互动等因素对情绪的交互作用。     

Neuroticism and Affective Priming: Evidence for a Neuroticism-Linked Negative Schema

Neuroticism has been hypothesized to systematically relate to semantic memory networks favoring negative affect, but no studies using affective priming tasks have established this link. The present two studies, involving 145 undergraduate participants, sought to provide initial evidence along these lines. Study 1 used a task in which participants were asked to judge their emotions in the past, whereas Study 2 used a perceptual identification task in which participants merely had to identify the word in question. In both studies, neuroticism was positively correlated with negative affective priming, but not positive affective priming. The studies suggest that neuroticism systematically relates to the inter-connectivity of negative affect with semantic memory systems, whether involving the self-concept (Study 1) or not (Study 2). These results are novel and important in understanding individual differences in neuroticism and their affective processing correlates.     

The Impact of Positive and Negative Affect and Issue Framing on Issue Interpretation and Risk Taking

Two studies examined the influence of transient affective states and issue framing onissue interpretationandrisk takingwithin the context of strategic decision making. In Study 1, participants in whom transient positive or negative affective states were induced by reading a short story showed systematic differences in issue interpretation and risk taking in a strategic decision making context. Compared to negative mood participants, those in a positive mood were more likely to interpret the strategic issue as an opportunity and displayed lower levels of risk taking. Study 2 replicated and extended these results by crossing affective states with threat and opportunity frames. Results showed that framing an issue (as a threat or an opportunity) had a stronger impact on issue interpretation among negative affect participants than among positive affect participants. Affective states also moderated the impact of issue framing on risk taking: the effect of framing on risk-taking was stronger under negative rather than positive affect. These results are interpreted via information-processing and motivational effects of affect on a decision maker.     

Affect regulation and temporal discounting: interactions between primed, state, and trait affect

Previous research has largely focused on the influence of experienced affect on decision making; however, other sources of affective information may also shape decisions. In two studies, we examine the interacting influences of affective information, state affect, and personality on temporal discounting rates (i.e., the tendency to choose small rewards today rather than larger rewards in the future). In Study 1, participants were primed with either positive or negative affect adjectives before making reward choices. In Study 2, participants underwent either a positive or negative affect induction before making reward choices. Results in both studies indicate that neuroticism interacts with state unpleasant affect and condition (i.e., positive or negative primes or induction) to predict discounting rates. Moreover, the nature of the interactions depends on the regulatory cues of the affective information available. These results suggest that irrelevant (i.e., primes) and stable (i.e., personality traits) sources of affective information also shape judgments and decision making. Thus, current affect levels are not the only source of affective information that guides individuals when making decisions.     

Social environmental factors and psychological responses to acute exercise for socially physique anxious females

ObjectivesThis study examined whether social-environmental factors influenced the psychological responses to participation in a single session of group fitness exercise for females with heightened body image concerns.Design/MethodsSocially physique anxious female college age students participated in this study (N=99). A randomized 2×2 factorial design was used to examine the effect of leadership style (health versus appearance oriented) and mirrors (present or absent) on affective responses, enjoyment, self-efficacy, and future intentions.ResultsANCOVA revealed that participants in the health oriented class reported more positive affective experiences than those in the appearance oriented classes with effect sizes (ES) ranging from .47 to .61. They also enjoyed exercise more (ES=.40) and reported being more likely to join a similar class in the future (ES=.69). Mirrors did not influence psychological responses by themselves or in conjunction with leadership style.ConclusionsExercise leader behavior influences the quality of the exercise experience for individuals with social physique anxiety by creating a health or appearance oriented class atmosphere.     

Objectification in Fitness Centers: Self-Objectification, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Aerobic Instructors and Aerobic Participants

This study was designed to investigate self-objectification, its theoretical consequences, and its relationship to reasons for exercise within a fitness center environment. Sixty female aerobic instructors and 97 female aerobic participants, who ranged in age from 18 to 45 years, completed questionnaire measures of self-objectification, reasons for exercise, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating. Increased self-objectification (and self-surveillance) was related to disordered eating symptomatology, body dissatisfaction, and appearance-related reasons for exercise. Aerobic instructors scored significantly lower on self-objectification, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating than did aerobic participants, and they exercised more for enjoyment and less for appearance-related reasons. For aerobic participants, location of exercise (inside or outside the fitness center) moderated the relationship between frequency of exercise and self-objectification, such that exercising within fitness centers was associated with relatively higher self-objectification. Higher levels of self-objectification were also related to wearing tighter exercise clothing. These results support the general model of Objectification Theory, and provide practical implications for women who exercise within objectifying environments.     

The augment effect of negative affective background on positive stimulus: Two randomized controlled trials

Based on the affective endowment-contrast theory, negative affect (NA) is hypothesized to augment positive affect (PA). Study 1 examined this contrast effect (augment effect) in a laboratory setting. Participants (n?=?94) were assigned into positive, negative or neutral affective background conditions through false feedback procedure, and then a same positive stimulus was given to all participants. Results indicated that participants in negative condition experienced more feelings of PA and less NA after receiving the positive stimulus compared to the other two conditions. Study 2 investigated this augment effect under naturalistic context. Participants (n?=?150) were classified into high positive, high negative, or mild positive affective background groups based on their naturally occurred affects. Then a positive manipulation was giving to all participants. Results indicated that participants in the high negative group experienced the most decrease in feelings of NA after receiving the positive manipulation. Results from the two studies provided evidence to the endowment-contrast theory, indicating that the valance of positive stimulus was augmented under negative affective background.     

Exercise environment,self-efficacy,and affective responses to acute exercise in older adults

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that regular physical activity can have considerable psychological, as well as physical, benefits in the elderly. Although factors such as exercise dosage may be implicated in exercise-induced affect responses, it has also been suggested that social and psychological factors might influence this relationship. This study examined the roles played by exercise environment (group versus alone) and self-efficacy in affective change in 80 older adults (M age = 66 yrs) over the course of three acute exercise bouts. Using latent growth curve methodology and statistically controlling for duration and intensity of exercise, we were able to demonstrate that social (group) environments resulted in statistically significant improvements in feeling state responses when contrasted with a condition in which the participants exercised alone. In addition, increases in self-efficacy were associated with more positive and less negative feeling states. Environmental factors that might influence the exercise-affect response are discussed and recommendations for subsequent exercise, efficacy, affect research made.     

Self-efficacy and affect responses to Sprint Interval Training

ObjectivesTo examine the influence of efficacious beliefs on affective states, enjoyment, and satisfaction after performing a maximal intensity exercise task (i.e. Sprint Interval Training (SIT).DesignAn experimental design was utilized and participants were randomized to a high self-efficacy feedback (HE), low self-efficacy feedback (LE), or no feedback control condition.MethodsCollege-aged men and women (n = 74) performed four 30-second maximal sprints, interspersed with 4-min breaks. Following each sprint interval, participants received either positive, negative or no feedback and SIT self-efficacy, affective states (i.e., positive well-being, psychological distress, fatigue), heart rate (HR), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed. Upon terminating the exercise session, enjoyment and satisfaction were assessed.ResultsThere was group equivalency in HR and RPE among participants of each group. The HE group had significantly less of a decline in SIT self-efficacy from pre to post SIT than both the LE and control groups, and reported significantly higher levels of exercise enjoyment than the other two groups. In addition, the HE and control groups reported significantly higher satisfaction than the LE group.ConclusionsWe recommend that exercisers receive positive feedback statements while performing SIT to minimize the decrease in SIT self-efficacy and to bolster feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction.     

Predictors of Long-Term Exercise Engagement in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Role of Physical Activity Enjoyment

Most U.S. adults, even more so those with psychiatric conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity (PA), despite the wide array of physical and mental health benefits associated with exercise. Therefore, it is essential to identify mechanistic factors that drive long-term exercise engagement so they can be targeted. Using the science of behavior change (SOBC) framework, this study examined potential predictors of long-term exercise engagement as a first step towards identifying modifiable mechanisms, in individuals with OCD, such as PA enjoyment, positive or negative affect, and behavioral activation. Fifty-six low-active patients (mean age = 38.8 ± 13.0, 64% female) with a primary diagnosis of OCD were randomized to either aerobic exercise (AE; n = 28) or health education (HE; n = 28), and completed measures of exercise engagement, PA enjoyment, behavioral activation, and positive and negative affect at baseline, postintervention, and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Significant predictors of long-term exercise engagement up to 6-months postintervention were baseline PA (Estimate = 0.29, 95%CI [0.09, 0.49], p = .005) and higher baseline PA enjoyment (Estimate = 1.09, 95%CI [0.30, 1.89], p = .008). Change in PA enjoyment from baseline to postintervention was greater in AE vs. HE, t(44) = −2.06, p = .046, d = −0.61, but endpoint PA enjoyment did not predict follow-up exercise engagement above and beyond baseline PA enjoyment. Other hypothesized potential mechanisms (baseline affect or behavioral activation) did not significantly predict exercise engagement. Results suggest that PA enjoyment may be an important modifiable target mechanism for intervention, even prior to a formal exercise intervention. Next steps aligned with the SOBC framework are discussed, including examining intervention strategies to target PA enjoyment, particularly among individuals with OCD or other psychiatric conditions, who may benefit most from long-term exercise engagement’s effects on physical and mental health.     

Emotion and information search in tactical decision-making: Moderator effects of feedback

Information search during decision-making may be influenced both by selective attention and by the criterion used for ceasing to search. When the items searched are themselves emotive, the affective state of the decision-maker may bias these search processes. If an automatic selective attention bias operates, it may produce mood-congruent effects irrespective of context; e.g., negative affect may focus attention on negative items of information. An alternative possibility, suggested by the mood-as-input model, is that the influence of affect on search may depend on how decision-makers understand their emotions within a given context. The present study tested predictions derived from relevant theories of affective bias, using feedback as a means to generate a context of success or failure. Hundred and sixty participants were required to access positive and negative items of information in choosing between different routes for a search-and-rescue mission. Outcomes of choices were manipulated experimentally, so that in one condition participants received mostly positive feedback, and in a second condition participants received mostly negative feedback. Results showed that the feedback manipulation influenced affect, but there was considerable variation in affective state within each condition. Associations between affect and information search were moderated by feedback condition. For example, positive affect was associated with more frequent sampling of positive information in the negative feedback condition, but the association reversed when feedback was positive. Findings were consistent with the mood-as-input hypothesis, but not with an automatic selective attention bias. Context may influence how the decision-maker interprets their affective state.     

The effects of valence‐based and discrete emotional states on aesthetic response

There is increasing recognition that consumer aesthetics—the responses of consumers to the aesthetic or appearance aspects of products—has become an important area of marketing in recent years. Consumer aesthetic responses to a product are a source of pleasure for the consumer. Previous research into the aesthetic responses to products has often emphasized exterior factors and visual design, but studies have seldom considered the psychological aesthetic experience of consumers, and in particular their emotional state. This study attempts to bridge this gap by examining the link between consumers’ emotions and their aesthetic response to a product. Thus, the major goal of this study was to determine how valence‐based and discrete emotional states influence choice. In Studies 1 and 2, positive and negative emotions were manipulated to implement two different induction techniques and explore the effect of emotions on participants’ choices in two separate experiments. The results of both experiments confirmed the predictions, indicating that aesthetic responses and purchase intention are functions of emotional valence, such that both are stronger for people in a positive emotional state than for those in a negative emotional state. Study 2 also used a neutral affective state to establish the robustness of this observed effect of incidental affect. The results of Study 3 demonstrate that aesthetic response and purchase intention are not only a function of affect valence, but also are affected by the certainty appraisal associated with specific affective states. This research, therefore, contributes to the literature by offering empirical evidence that incidental affect is a determinant of aesthetic response.     

An investigation of psychosocial factors related to changes in physical activity and fitness among female adolescents

Research examined the effects of a supervised physical activity program on potential psychosocial mediators and determined whether changes in these psychosocial variables predicted changes in physical activity and fitness. Sedentary adolescent females were assigned to an intervention (n?=?79) or comparison (n?=?67) group. Cardiovascular fitness (cycle ergometer), physical activity (3-Day Physical Activity Recall), and psychosocial variables related to physical activity (i.e., self-efficacy, perceived barriers, social support, enjoyment) were assessed at three time points over the 9-month study. An intention-to-treat analysis showed that the intervention did not impact any of the psychosocial variables, with the exception of perceived barriers, which increased in the intervention group. Longitudinal analyses showed that improvements in fitness were associated with positive changes in global self-efficacy and exercise enjoyment. Psychosocial variables did not mediate the program's effects on fitness or activity. However, individual level changes in psychosocial variables were related to changes in cardiovascular fitness.