| Abstract: | Female members of an adult physical fitness club, who had been inactive for a period of at least one month, were assigned to one of four treatment groups. A control group received no treatment while the other three groups underwent different treatments during a telephone interview. A regular call-up group received a standard club telephone interview advocating greater participation in the club's activities; a decision-balance-sheet group completed a list of anticipated gains and losses for attending the club's activities; a positive-outcomes-only group (i.e., self-persuasion condition) completed a list of anticipated gains for attending the club's activities. Attendance rates for both the decision balance-sheet group and the self-persuasion group were better than for the control group. Also, attendance for the self-persuasion group was significantly better than for the regular club call-up group, Results are discussed in terms of self-persuasion and emotional inoculation processes with respect to behavioral change and behavioral maintenance. |
