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Effects of Acute Exercise on Automatic Action-Tendencies and Self-Reported Affect

May, Christine

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Psychology.
With obesity rates continuing to climb, the need for novel interventions and treatments to combat this growing problem is at an all-time high. The present study investigated the effect of exercise on undergraduate students’ approach or withdraw motivations to dessert food images on a novel reaction time task, the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT). Data were collected from 127 undergraduate students in the psychology research pool on current physical activity habits, satiation levels, eating habits, body mass index and body fat index, explicit attitudes toward exercise, self-reported affect, levels of exertion/effort, and approach-avoidance tendencies. Participants were randomly assigned to either exercise for twenty minutes on a stationary bicycle or to complete working memory tasks that took approximately twenty minutes. Results revealed that individuals in the exercise condition experienced greater increases in positive affect and tended to become more approach-oriented to dessert images compared to those in the cognitive condition. Moreover, participants with higher levels of self-reported physical activity were more approach-oriented to dessert images on the AAT. The present study exhibits initial evidence for the usefulness of the AAT to uncover how implicit motivations are related to eating and exercise behaviors.
Heath Demaree (Advisor)
102 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • May, C. (2015). Effects of Acute Exercise on Automatic Action-Tendencies and Self-Reported Affect [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1427979148

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • May, Christine. Effects of Acute Exercise on Automatic Action-Tendencies and Self-Reported Affect. 2015. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1427979148.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • May, Christine. "Effects of Acute Exercise on Automatic Action-Tendencies and Self-Reported Affect." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1427979148

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)