Self-Efficacy Relationships With Affective and Exertion Responses to Exercise1

This study examined the relationship of preexisting efficacy for exercise with perceptions of effort expenditure and in-task affect during exercise testing. Subjects comprised sedentary, middle-aged adults participating in a submaxi-mal cycle ergometer-graded exercise test. Perceptions of efficacy were assessed prior to and following exercise testing while perceptions of effort expenditure and in-task affect were assessed at 70% of predicted maxim heart rate. Highly efficacious subjects had lower perceptions of effort expenditure and reported more positive affect during exercise than did their less efficacious counterparts. Affective responses during exercise were in turn significant predictors of posttest self-efficacy. These results are discussed in regard to the importance of examining the role of personal efficacy in the formation of exercise-related affect and affective responses as sources of efficacy or competence information in exercise.     

Will people work hard on a task they choose? Social-eyes priming in different cultural contexts

Although previous work shows that people are strongly motivated to work on a task they choose, little is known on the boundary conditions for this effect. Here, we hypothesized that European Americans work hard on a task they choose in private so as to achieve their independence. In support of this hypothesis, we found that performance in an alleged IQ test increased when the test was chosen in the absence of social-eyes priming for European Americans and, moreover, this effect was more pronounced for independently oriented individuals. We also hypothesized that Asians work hard on a task they choose in public so as to establish their interdependence. In support of this hypothesis, we found that performance in the IQ test increased when the choice was made in the presence of the social-eyes priming for Asians and, moreover, this effect tended to be more pronounced for interdependently oriented individuals. Implications for theories of culture and motivation are discussed.     

Culture and the cognitive and neuroendocrine responses to speech

The present research investigated cultural differences in the psychological and biological effects of verbalization of thoughts. Three studies tested how verbalization of thoughts requires a different amount of effort for people from cultures with different assumptions about speech and examined implications for the cognitive performance and stress hormone response to the task. The results showed that verbalization impaired East Asians/East Asian Americans' performance when the task was difficult but not when the task was easy, whereas the effect of verbalization on European Americans' performance was neutral or positive regardless of task difficulty. Moreover, verbalization decreased the level of cortisol response to the task among European Americans but not among East Asian Americans. The results demonstrate how the same act that is intended to create the same psychological experience could inadvertently lead to systematically different psychological experiences for people from different cultures.     

Culture and well-being: the cycle of action, evaluation, and decision

Two studies were conducted to examine how European and Asian Americans experience and remember their task performance, make a decision about a future task, and how that decision affects enjoyment of the task. In Study 1, although Asians solved as many anagrams as European Americans, Asians remembered solving fewer than did European Americans at Time 2. European Americans' Time 2 choice of task was predicted from Time 1 performance, but Asians' Time 2 choice was not. In Study 2, European Americans chose the same task if they had previously done well and a different task if they had not. Their actual enjoyment of the Time 2 task, furthermore, was significantly higher than at Time 1. In contrast, there was no change in actual enjoyment of the task at Time 2 among Asians because their choice was not based on their performance at Time 1.     

Prospective Examination of Leisure-Time Exercise Behavior During Pregnancy

The negative and positive content of self-talk, the relationship of self-talk to performance, and persistence following positive and negative feedback were investigated across different cultural backgrounds (European Americans n = 54, East Asians n = 26). East Asians had a significantly larger proportion of negative to positive self-talk than European Americans, d = .62. The greater proportion of negative self-talk related to poorer performance for European Americans, but better performance for East Asians, r ² = .13. European Americans’ practice persistence increased after receiving positive versus negative feedback, d = .59. No differences occurred in persistence for East Asians, d = .06. Results suggest sport psychology consultants and coaches should consider an athlete's cultural background when employing cognitive interventions and providing feedback.     

A Contextual Model of Control Beliefs,Behavior, and Health: Latino and European Americans with Type 2 Diabetes

Sense of control is frequently found to be related to health. A model of control beliefs, disease-management behaviors, and health indicators was tested in a sample of 74 Latino Americans and 115 European Americans with Type 2 diabetes. Two measures of control beliefs, one diabetes-specific (diabetes self-efficacy) and one global (mastery), were examined for their effects on management behaviors (diet and exercise) and on health (Hb_A1C and general health). Results indicated that the relationship between control and management behaviors varied by measure of control and by group. For Latino participants, global mastery was related to management behaviors; whereas, self-efficacy was related to such behaviors among European Americans. The relationship between control and health did not appear to be mediated by management behaviors. This study provides support for a diversified approach to control, behavior, and health.     

Self-doubt: Uncertainty as a motivating factor on effort in an exercise endurance task

ObjectivesResearch on the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and subsequent performance on a task has typically supported a positive linear model. However, these results typically excluded a moderate level of self-efficacy as an independent variable nor used quadratic regression analyses to test for a curvilinear relationship. There are reasons to believe that a more accurate relationship between self-efficacy and performance is curvilinear (i.e., that some self-doubt of self-efficacy may predict optimal effort) under certain circumstances.DesignThe current study examined this relationship with the muscular endurance task of a plank exercise.MethodsSeventy-five participants participated in two trials of the exercise. Self-efficacy was recorded prior to each trial and performance in the plank exercise was used as an indicator of motivational effort.ResultsThere was a significant curvilinear relationship between efficacy and performance on the first trial and a significant linear relationship between the two on the second trial. Further analyses showed that individuals who substantially over or underestimated their abilities on the first trial did not significantly alter their effort on the second trial.ConclusionsThe current study provides some support for the possibility that some self-doubt can be a motivating factor for individuals to exert maximal effort when initially attempting an exercise endurance task.     

Chinese working in groups: Effort dispensability versus normative influence

Chinese participants were found less likely to social loaf when working in groups than did North Americans. This result was attributed mainly to the collectivism and individualism characterizing Chinese and North Americans, respectively. However, this explanation does not address how Chinese people's social loafing tendency may vary across situations. If Chinese participants are concerned about their relations with coworkers, they should be more likely to conform to the performance level of their coworkers. This prediction is in opposition to effort dispensability, which is usually found among North Americans, whereby individuals adjust their effort in reverse to that of their coworkers. Consistent with our prediction, findings from three studies revealed that Chinese participants tended to conform to the performance level of their coworkers when their performance is made public ( vs kept anonymous) and when they have high ( vs low) relational concerns. These findings have implications for unpacking nuanced cultural influences on behaviours.     

Effects of control deprivation on effort expenditure and accuracy performance

Theoretical positions lead to diverging predictions regarding the impact of control deprivation on subsequent performance. Learned helplessness research suggests that control deprivation impairs subsequent performance. This effect can be attributed either to a decrease in motivation or to a decrease in attentional resources. In contrast, control motivation hypothesis predicts that control deprivation increases careful processing of incoming information, and thus accuracy performance, unless the task is perceived as ego‐threatening. In order to test these diverging predictions against each other, participants were exposed to zero, one, two, four, six or eight unsolvable (vs. solvable) problems and then asked to complete two letter cancellation tasks. This task allowed independent evaluation of effort expenditure (i.e., the number of letters scanned) and accuracy performance (i.e., percentage of letters correctly marked). Overall, the results were consistent with the predictions of the cognitive explanations of learned helplessness deficit as control deprivation at high levels reduced accuracy performance but not effort expenditure. Unexpectedly, effort expenditure was affected by problem solving activity. These results suggest that control deprivation could heighten motivation and, at the same time, deplete cognitive resources. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

We talk,therefore we think? A cultural analysis of the effect of talking on thinking

The Western assumption that talking is connected to thinking is not shared in the East. The research examines how the actual psychology of individuals reflects these different cultural assumptions. In Study 1, Asian Americans and European Americans thought aloud while solving reasoning problems. Talking impaired Asian Americans' performance but not that of European Americans. Study 2 showed that participants' beliefs about talking and thinking are correlated with how talking affects performance, and suggested that cultural difference in modes of thinking can explain the difference in the effect of talking. Study 3 showed that talking impaired Asian Americans' performance because they tend to use internal speech less than European Americans. Results illuminate the importance of cultural understanding of psychology for a multicultural society.     

Close relationships between Asian American and European American college students

The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships were less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Americans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.     

An empirical test of the covariation analysis in causal attribution

The present investigation was designed to reveal the cognitive inference processes associated with both detection and utilization of covariation information in causal attribution. Male undergraduates were (a) informed that a test was easy or difficult and shown a videotape in which (b) the test-taker's performance was high or low, and (c) covariation between the test-taker's effort expenditure and trial-by-trial outcome was present or absent. High performance was attributed to the test-taker's effort and ability, whereas low performance was attributed to the difficulty of the test. However, recognition of the covariance relationship decreased the attribution of high performance to ability and of low performance to test difficulty and increased the attribution of low performance to effort. Effort attribution in the high performance condition was independent of covariation information. The results are discussed in terms of the relationship between covariation information and typical beliefs about the causes of achievement outcomes.     

Developmental differences in the mental effort requirements for the use of an organizational strategy in free recall

The mental effort requirements of free recall and the use of an organization strategy for recall were investigated in two experiments. Interference on a secondary task (finger tapping) was assessed to measure the mental effort requirements of the memory tasks. In a first experiment, it was found that comparable expenditure of mental effort resulted in better memory performance for adults and seventh-graders compared with third-graders, and for related lists compared with unrelated lists. In a second experiment, third- and seventh-graders were instructed to use an organizational strategy to remember a list of words. Although both third- and seventh-graders employed the organizational strategy and showed comparable expenditure of mental effort, this led to increased levels of performance only for the seventh-graders. The results suggest that when memory strategies are imposed on young children, what mental effort is expended on implementing the mnemonic reduces the amount of mental capacity available for other activities, resulting in only modest gains in memory performance.     

Close Relationships Between Asian American and European American College Students

Abstract

The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships were less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Americans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.     

Do you see what I see?: An exploration of inter-ethnic ideal body size comparisons among college women

The present study explored African American (n = 16) and European American (n = 19) college women's ideal body size perceptions for their own and the other ethnic group along with reasons behind their selections. Respondents completed an ethnically-neutral figure rating scale and then participated in ethnically-homogenous focus groups. European Americans mostly preferred a curvy-thin or athletic ideal body while most African American students resisted notions of a singular ideal body. European Americans suggested that African Americans’ larger ideal body sizes were based on greater body acceptance and the preferences of African American men. African Americans used extreme terms when discussing their perceptions of European Americans’ thin idealization, celebrity role models, and weight management behaviors. African Americans’ perceptions of European Americans’ body dissatisfaction were also attributed to the frequent fat talk they engaged in. Implications for promoting the psychosocial well-being of ethnically-diverse emerging adult females attending college are discussed.     

African Americans and High Blood Pressure: The Role of Stereotype Threat

We examined the effect of stereotype threat on blood pressure reactivity. Compared with European Americans, and African Americans under little or no stereotype threat, African Americans under stereotype threat exhibited larger increases in mean arterial blood pressure during an academic test, and performed more poorly on difficult test items. We discuss the significance of these findings for understanding the incidence of hypertension among African Americans.     

Correlates of exercise adherence in an African American church community

This study identified correlates of attendance to a community-based exercise program in an African American church congregation. After medical clearance, 48 participants completed measures of social support, health-related quality of life, depression, exercise self-efficacy, and exercise motivation and then participated in an exercise program for 6 months (attendance rate = 27%). Age, a sense of affiliation as a motivator to exercise, and weekly caloric expenditure derived from yard work were positively associated with program attendance, and full- or part-time employment was negatively associated with attendance. The authors concluded that exercise adherence is a complicated phenomenon that is influenced by a variety of environmental, personal, and social factors. Social factors, in particular, may be important in promoting adherence to an exercise program in African Americans.     

Race and the workforce: occupational status,aspirations, and stereotyping among African American children

This study examined whether African American children's perceptions of occupational status and their own vocational interests are affected by racial segregation of the workforce. Children (N = 92) rated familiar occupations with respect to status, desirability, and stereotyping. Children also rated novel jobs that had been depicted with African Americans, European Americans, or both African and European Americans. As predicted, for familiar jobs, children's judgments were linked to their knowledge of racial segregation of these jobs. In addition, novel occupations that had been depicted with African Americans were judged as lower in status than the identical occupations that had been depicted with European Americans, demonstrating a causal influence of workers' race on children's judgments. Children's age and socioeconomic background moderated their occupational judgments.     

Low-Income Preschoolers' False-Belief Performance

A group of 72 preschoolers (36 African Americans, 36 European Americans) enrolled in Head Start programs and other preschools serving low-income children were asked 3 variations of false-belief questions across 3 scenarios and given a language and cognition subtest. Children's performance varied across the questions and tasks, but after covarying for children's language and cognitive scores, those effects were no longer found to be significant. Age effects were still significant even after differences in children's language and cognitive abilities had been accounted for. Although no language and cognitive differences were found among European Americans and African Americans, the European Americans still outperformed African Americans on 1 of the task scenarios. Those results demonstrate (a) the importance of considering testing procedures and language and cognitive abilities when assessing children's social cognitive skills and (b) that age-related changes in false-belief understanding are associated with social cognitive conceptual changes that are independent of language and cognitive skills.     

Low-income preschoolers' false-belief performance

A group of 72 preschoolers (36 African Americans, 36 European Americans) enrolled in Head Start programs and other preschools serving low-income children were asked 3 variations of false-belief questions across 3 scenarios and given a language and cognition subtest. Children's performance varied across the questions and tasks, but after covarying for children's language and cognitive scores, those effects were no longer found to be significant. Age effects were still significant even after differences in children's language and cognitive abilities had been accounted for. Although no language and cognitive differences were found among European Americans and African Americans, the European Americans still outperformed African Americans on 1 of the task scenarios. Those results demonstrate (a) the importance of considering testing procedures and language and cognitive abilities when assessing children's social cognitive skills and (b) that age-related changes in false-belief understanding are associated with social cognitive conceptual changes that are independent of language and cognitive skills.