Search Results

Three experiments are presented that evaluate the feeling scale (FS) as a measure of affect during exercise. In Experiment 1,.subjects were instructed to check adjectives on the MAACL-R that they would associate with either a "good" or a "bad" feeling during exercise. As predicted, discriminant function analysis indicated that the good/bad dimension of the FS appears to represent a core of emotional expression. In Experiment 2, subjects rated how they felt during exercise at a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 11, 15, and 19. There was considerable heterogeneity in FS for each given RPE. Moreover, RPEs and FS ratings were only moderately correlated, r= - .56, suggesting that phenomenologically the two constructs are not isomorphic. Experiment 3 involved three 4-min bouts of exercise at 30, 60, and 90% V0₂max. Assessed were pre- and post-exercise affect as. .well as RPEs, responses to the FS, V_e, RR, and VO₂. Results revealed that RPE and the FS were moderately related, but only at easy and hard workloads. FS ratings evidenced greater variability as metabolic demands increased, and RPEs consistently had stronger ties to physiologic cues than responses to the FS. The theoretical and pragmatic implications of these data are discussed.

Previous research has demonstrated that the difference between a group's potential and its actual productivity is, in part, a function of individuals exerting less effort when working as a team. This phenomenon has been labeled social loafing. Harkins and Petty (1982) have suggested that the way in which teammates think their outputs are combined to make up the team score and teammate competence may influence the social loafing effect. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of additive, disjunctive, and conjunctive task structures on individual effort expended by rowers and nonrowers. In Experiment 1, 30 male nonrowers were assigned to dyads and performed two (alone, team) 45-sec trials on Concept II rowing ergometers. Ten subjects performed under additive, 10 under disjunctive, and 10 under conjunctive task conditions. Results demonstrated no significant effects. In Experiment 2, 30 subjects were assigned to 15 dyads with the restriction that 1 member of each dyad be a collegiate rower and 1 be a nonrower. The results revealed (a) that rowers expended more effort than nonrowers and (b) a social loafing effect for the least proficient teammate.

Ten Type A's and 10 Type B's, as measured by the student version of the JAS and the TASRI, exercised on a cycle ergometer for 20 minutes at light (40% V0₂max), moderate (60% V0₂max), and high (80% V0₂max) intensity exercise to determine A/B differences in psychophysiological responses. The norepinephrine and epinephrine responses of A/B types were similar at the light and moderate intensities. However, at the high intensity, norepmephrine response of Type A's was significantly greater than that of Type B's. Epinephrine responses (p=.ll) evidenced the same, albeit nonsignificant, trend. Oxygen uptake and heart rate data indicated that this amine difference was not a function of differential workloads, suggesting that Type A's had a greater psychophysiological reactivity to high intensity exercise than Type B's. Ratings of perceived exertion were similar for Type A's and B's at all intensities. However, a significant interaction between behavioral pattern and intensity emerged for affect. Interpretation of this interaction indicated that Type A's were more positive than B's at light and moderate intensities, yet at the high intensity exercise A's were more negative than B's. The results of this study suggest that A and B types do differ in their psychophysiological responses during exercise, with A's evidencing more positive affect during light and moderate intensities, yet more negative affect and greater neuroendocrine responses during high intensity exercise than B's.

This study examined the affective response pattern of severely injured athletes. Five athletes from an NCAA Division I university athletic program were followed within 24 hours of injury for 4 weeks. On two nonconsecutive days a week at the same time and place, the athletes completed the Profile of Mood States and indicated their perceived percent rehabilitation. In addition, at the first meeting the athletes were given the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and a demographic data sheet. At the final meeting the athletes completed an open-ended questionnaire designed to explore affective, cognitive, and behavioral reflections about rehabilitation. ANOVA indicated that affect significantly changed (p<.05) across the 4 week period. Post hoc analyses indicated that this change fits a two-stage process: Stage 1, Times 1−2; Stage 2, Times 3−8, with the two stages being significantly different from each other. The correlation between perceived rehabilitation and total mood disturbance was r=−.69, p<.0001. Correlations for each affective measure and perceived rehabilitation indicated that affective patterns of the rehabilitating athlete were highly related to the perception of rehabilitation, with negative affect diminishing and positive affect increasing as perceived rehabilitation increased.

Two experiments are reported that investigate the mediational role of social influence in the self-perception of exertion. In Experiment 1, subjects performed three 15-min trials on a cycle ergometer at 25%, 50%, and 75% VO₂max, both in the presence of another performer (a coactor) and alone. The results indicated that subjects reported lower RPEs when performing with another, particularly at the moderate (50%) intensity. In Experiment 2, subjects performed one 15-min trial at 50% of VO₂max, both alone and in the presence of another performer (coactor) exhibiting nonverbal "cues" that the work was either extremely easy or extremely difficult. The results indicated that subjects exposed to the low-intensity cue information reported lower RPEs than when performing alone. Mo significant differences were noted for those subjects exposed to the high-intensity cue information. These findings are discussed in terms of a self-presentational analysis. That such effects were evidenced without physiological responses (VO₂, V_E, HR) accompanying them supports the notion that psychological variables can play a significant role in the self-perception of exertion. These results, however, are limited to untrained individuals exercising at moderate intensities.

This investigation examined the possible psychometric confounds of interpreting exercise-induced symptom reporting as changes in stete anxiety. Thirty male subjects exercised on a motor-driven treadmill for 15 min at 75% of maximum heart rate reserve. Prior to» during, and following the exercise, subjects responded to short forms of Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory (SAI), Thayer's Aetivation-Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD-ACL), Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale» and a measure of affect. Preliminary results indicated that following 10 min of recovery from exercise» SAI scores were lower than baseline responses. Upon former analysis of individual SAI items, however, it was evident mat changes occurring in total SAI scores as a result of exercise were strongly influenced by changes in energetic arousal and general deactivation. This conclusion was supported by data from the AD-ACL as well as responses to postexperimental interviews. These findings cal into question the construct validity of the SAI and related state measures (e.g., the Profile of Mood States» or POMS) when used in conjunction with acute bouts of vigorous physical activity.