Recall of affective responses to exercise : examining the influence of intensity and time

• Affective responses to exercise are noted to be dynamic and frequently vacillate between positive and negative valence during physical activity. Recalled affect following exercise can influence anticipated affective responses to exercise and guide future behaviours. Research examining affective memory processes indicates that the recall of an experience can substantially differ from the actual experience and change over time. Grounded in the dual mode model (Ekkekakis, 2003) this study examined individuals’ recall of exercise related affect over a period of two weeks. Forty-two adults (26 women, 16 men; Mage = 29.64, SD = 5.69) completed two 20-min treadmill exercise trials in a randomized control cross over design; the trials were set either at a low or high exercise intensity based upon individuals’ ventilatory threshold. Data analyses indicate that the affective responses to the low intensity condition were evaluated more positively than the high intensity condition. Recalled affect fluctuated over a two-week time period following both the low intensity and the high intensity exercise trials. A significant reduction at the 24-hour recall measurement point was observed in both exercise intensity conditions. Implications for future research and health promotion interventions aiming to optimise affective responses to exercise are presented.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Tillämpad psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Applied Psychology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Idrottsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Sport and Fitness Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

affective responses

affective valence

Recall

Dual mode model

exercise intensity

Psychology

psykologi

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)