published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

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The purpose of this investigation was to compare associative and dissociative psychological strategies of attentional focus for their effects on self - report ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and heart rate during endurance exercise. Trained cyclists (n = 7) performed three 60 minute experimental rides on a bicycle ergometer which consisted of an association ride (attention focused on heart rate feedback), a dissociation ride (attention focused on responding to a cue word on a videotape), and a control condition ride in which focus of attention was not purposely manipulated. Results indicated that the deliberate application of a cognitive strategy designed to encourage an individual to associate or dissociate did not differentially effect either actual efficiency (heart rate) or perception of exercise intensity (RPE scores). Overall, it was concluded that there was a trend for the dissociation condition to result in higher RPE scores than the association condition or control condition. / School of Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-motivation and action control (decision implementation) as dispositional determinants of adherence to exercise programs at a worksite setting. Past studies have shown self-motivation to be a good measure of individual difference between those who persist in exercise behavior and those who do not. Theorists have suggested that individuals with a high action orientation are more likely to maintain and enact their intentions than those with a high state orientation. This study attempted to objectively test the theories by determining whether or not "regular" exercisers are more likely to demonstrate a high action control orientation and /or self-motivation than "irregular" exercisers. An attempt was also made to determine whether or not action control might be a stronger exercise adherence predictor than self-motivation.Eighty five hospital employees who were members of the wellness center at Ball Memorial Hospital, completed a demographic questionnaire, the Self-Motivation Inventory, and the Action Control Scale. Correlational analysis data indicated "regular" exercisers were more likely to demonstrate self-motivation than "irregular" exercisers. However, multiple regression analysis indicated that neither action control nor self-motivation accounted for more than 7% of the total variance. Further study is recommended. / Institute for Wellness

A limited amount of research has been conducted on college students' physical activity levels. According to the 1996 Surgeon General's Report, only one fourth of young adults regularly exercise vigorously. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective exercise intervention programs for young adult populations. There has been no previous research using the variables of outcome expectancy value, exercise role identity, and self-regulation skills. The purpose of the study was to describe the relationship among self-regulation skills, outcome expectancy value, and exercise role identity as predictors of exercise levels. Subjects (n=1 83) represented a convenient sample of students from Personal Health classes at Ball State University. All subjects completed a four-part questionnaire divided into: self-regulation, outcome expectancy value, exercise role identity, and seven day recall. Results revealed that selfregulation and exercise role identity were predictors of vigorous activity, but not moderate activity. Outcome expectancy value was not significantly correlated with any of the dependent variables, except for male vigorous days. This study further support self-regulation and exercise role identity as predictors of physical activity. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The investigation of youths' exercise attitudes and behaviors has been heavily researched. This study's focus was unique in that exercise attitudes and behaviors of academically accelerated and non-accelerated high school students were examined. Academic ability and sex were considered as possible influences toward physical activity attitudes and as potential predictor variables of exercise behaviors. The Revised CATPA inventory and the Attitudes Toward Exercise scale assessed subjects' exercise attitudes. A modified 7-Day Recall of Physical Activity measured the amount of time subjects spent exercising in the previous week. Results showed higher mean Revised CATPA scores for the academically accelerated and male subjects, while the ATE scores were higher among academically non-accelerated and female students. Results on the activity recall suggested that males were more physically active. A multiple regression analysis showed predictor variables of exercise. Future research ideas are discussed on differing academic groups. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The present investigation involved the development of a psychobiologic profile of individuals who experience exercise-related mood-enhancement and those who do not. The sample (N=301) consisted of students participating in 10-week exercise classes at North Texas State University. All subjects completed pre-test inventories assessing various psychological (i.e., trait anxiety and depression, attitude toward physical activity, self-estimation of physical ability and attraction to physical activity, expectancies of health benefits from exercise, and self-motivation) and biological (i.e., aerobic capacity and body fat percentage) variables. Trait anxiety and depression were also assessed before and after the 10-week exercise program and state anxiety and depression were assessed on an acute basis on two separate occasions during the program. Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis were employed to determine which variables maximally discriminated between individuals who experienced mood-elevations following exercise and those who did not enjoy such rewards. The hypothesis that these two groups of individuals differ significantly from each other was not upheld by the results; thus, an overall psychobiologic profile could not be developed. However, the data did reveal that individuals who held a more positive attitude toward physical activity for the purpose of health and fitness reduced their state anxiety and depression following exercise significantly more than individuals who held more neutral attitudes. The results also confirmed previous research that individuals initially high in trait anxiety and depression showed a significantly greater decrease in these traits than subjects scoring in the low-moderate range at the outset of the exercise class. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between engaging in minimum levels of physical activity as defined by ACSM and perceived quality of life. A total of 43 college students were included in a repeated measures, quasi-experimental design research study that produced an overall retention rate of 65%, which resulted in 15 students being placed in the treatment group, and 28 students being placed in the control group. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare the quality of life mean scores over three administrations of the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI), which resulted in no significant main effects for either the time measure or the group measure, but did produce a significant interaction effect. Post hoc analyses showed there was a significant difference between the treatment and control groups' quality of life mean scores only during the second administration of the instrument. Further analysis showed that the control group had significantly higher quality of life domain scores for six of the 16 quality of life domains. There were no significant differences between groups across any of the physiological measures. These findings did not support previous research that increasing individuals' level of physical activity will enhance their perceived quality of life. Instead, this study only provokes more questions about the connection between physical activity and perceived quality of life.

Deciding to exercise requires trade-offs between immediate and delayed benefits. These momentary decisions may be moderated by personality such that patterns of individual behavior emerge. The aim of the current study was to determine if higher levels of optimism and lower levels of delay discounting were related to exercise frequency. A sample of 360 undergraduate students completed a survey study related to understanding the choices made by undergraduates and how other factors relate to their decision-making. The survey included measures of optimism, delayed discounting, and self-reported exercise frequency in four domains: cardiovascular, resistance, sports, active lifestyle. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine optimism and delay discounting as predictors of exercise frequency. Optimism and delay discounting were negatively correlated, but neither was related to exercise frequency. Furthermore, optimism and delay discounting were not significantly related to frequency spent in cardiovascular, resistance, or active lifestyle exercise. However, women scoring higher in delay discounting were more likely to participate in physical sports. The present study helps inform future research by showing potentially important psychosocial variables related to optimism, delay discounting, and exercise.