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Exercise or not?
(2023)
Objective: Individuals’ decisions to engage in exercise are often the result of in-the-moment choices between exercise and a competing behavioral alternative. The purpose of this study was to investigate processes that occur in-the-moment (i.e., situated processes) when individuals are faced with the choice between exercise and a behavioral alternative during a computerized task. These were analyzed against the background of interindividual differences in individuals’ automatic valuation and controlled evaluation of exercise.
Method: In a behavioral alternatives task 101 participants were asked whether they would rather choose an exercise option or a behavioral alternative in 25 trials. Participants’ gaze behavior (first gaze and fixations) was recorded using eye-tracking. An exercise-specific affect misattribution procedure (AMP) was used to assess participants’ automatic valuation of exercise before the task. After the task, self-reported feelings towards exercise (controlled evaluation) and usual weekly exercise volume were assessed. Mixed effects models with random effects for subjects and trials were used for data analysis.
Results: Choosing exercise was positively correlated with individuals’ automatic valuation (r = 0.20, p = 0.05), controlled evaluation (r = 0.58, p < 0.001), and their weekly exercise volume (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Participants showed no bias in their initial gaze or number of fixations towards the exercise or the non-exercise alternative. However, participants were 1.30 times more likely to fixate on the chosen alternative first and more frequently, but this gaze behavior was not related to individuals’ automatic valuation, controlled evaluation, or weekly exercise volume.
Conclusion: The results suggest that situated processes arising from defined behavioral alternatives may be independent of individuals’ general preferences. Despite one’s best general intention to exercise more, the choice of a non-exercise alternative behavior may seem more appealing in-the-moment and eventually be chosen. New psychological theories of health behavior change should therefore better consider the role of potentially conflicting alternatives when it comes to initiating physical activity or exercise.
Exercise or not?
(2023)
Objective: Individuals’ decisions to engage in exercise are often the result of in-the-moment choices between exercise and a competing behavioral alternative. The purpose of this study was to investigate processes that occur in-the-moment (i.e., situated processes) when individuals are faced with the choice between exercise and a behavioral alternative during a computerized task. These were analyzed against the background of interindividual differences in individuals’ automatic valuation and controlled evaluation of exercise.
Method: In a behavioral alternatives task 101 participants were asked whether they would rather choose an exercise option or a behavioral alternative in 25 trials. Participants’ gaze behavior (first gaze and fixations) was recorded using eye-tracking. An exercise-specific affect misattribution procedure (AMP) was used to assess participants’ automatic valuation of exercise before the task. After the task, self-reported feelings towards exercise (controlled evaluation) and usual weekly exercise volume were assessed. Mixed effects models with random effects for subjects and trials were used for data analysis.
Results: Choosing exercise was positively correlated with individuals’ automatic valuation (r = 0.20, p = 0.05), controlled evaluation (r = 0.58, p < 0.001), and their weekly exercise volume (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Participants showed no bias in their initial gaze or number of fixations towards the exercise or the non-exercise alternative. However, participants were 1.30 times more likely to fixate on the chosen alternative first and more frequently, but this gaze behavior was not related to individuals’ automatic valuation, controlled evaluation, or weekly exercise volume.
Conclusion: The results suggest that situated processes arising from defined behavioral alternatives may be independent of individuals’ general preferences. Despite one’s best general intention to exercise more, the choice of a non-exercise alternative behavior may seem more appealing in-the-moment and eventually be chosen. New psychological theories of health behavior change should therefore better consider the role of potentially conflicting alternatives when it comes to initiating physical activity or exercise.
Portal = Familie und Beruf
(2021)
Als ich für die vergangene Ausgabe der Portal an dem Artikel „Mein Arbeitstag im Bermudadreieck – zwischen Homeoffice, Homeschooling und Homekita“ schrieb, diskutierten wir im Redaktionsteam, ob der ungeschönte Bericht eines privaten Alltags überhaupt in ein Universitätsmagazin passt. Ich überlegte zudem, ob eine Publikation mich als Arbeitnehmerin wie Privatperson angreifbar machen würde.
Doch nach dem Erscheinen der Portal 1/2021 erreichten uns in der Pressestelle viele Danksagungen und Ermunterungen aus ganz unterschiedlichen Bereichen der Universität. Das Thema schien einen Nerv getroffen zu haben, was uns veranlasste, eine komplette Ausgabe zu diesem Thema zu produzieren. So halten Sie nun die Portal „Familie und Beruf“ in den Händen!
Familie beschränkt sich im Jahr 2021 dabei nicht auf „Mutter, Vater, Kind“, sondern manifestiert sich vielmehr in großer Diversität. Wir haben mit Menschen gesprochen, die in gleichgeschlechtlichen Partnerschaften leben, die Kinder adoptiert haben oder die ihr Haustier als Familienmitglied lieben; mit Alleinerziehenden genauso wie mit Paaren, die traumatisierte Pflegekinder großziehen. Dieses Heft zeigt eine Vielfalt unserer Kolleginnen und Kollegen, unserer Studierenden und macht deutlich: Familie ist bunt.
Unterm Strich können wir festhalten, dass heute viel Flexibilität von uns verlangt wird – daheim wie im Büro, Hörsaal oder Labor. Die Herausforderung ist und bleibt kontinuierlich: Verschiedene Lebensbereiche müssen in wechselnden Lebensphasen unter einen Hut gebracht werden. Wenn diese Portal vor Ihnen liegt, werde ich aufgrund einer befristeten Anstellung nicht mehr Teil der Uni Potsdam sein. Dafür ist Dr. Jana Scholz aus ihrer Elternzeit zurückgekehrt. Was mich mit ihr – und mutmaßlich auch mit Ihnen als Leserinnen und Leser – doch bleibend verbindet, ist das Bestreben, Familie und Beruf in Einklang zu bringen. Alles Gute! (Sandy Bossier-Steuerwald)
Liebe Leserinnen und Leser, es bleibt nicht viel zu ergänzen. Außer: Falls Sie nach dem Lesen dieser Ausgabe den Eindruck haben sollten, dass Familie vor allem herausfordernd und kräftezehrend ist – dann haben wir uns missverstanden. Dem ist natürlich nicht so! Familie ist auch Nähe, Zusammenhalt, Spaß, Humor und vieles mehr. An den Herausforderungen, die sie an uns und unseren Beruf stellt, können wir wachsen. Und dies gelingt besonders, wenn wir ein Netz von Freunden, Kolleginnen und Vorgesetzen haben, das uns dabei unterstützt.
Wie immer bietet die Portal über den Titel hinaus einen bunten Strauß an Geschichten: von magnetischen Kunstwerken, mit denen Studierende die Stadt verschönern, über eine angehende Rabbinerin, die Feminismus in die Gemeinden bringen will, bis zu den urzeitlichen sizilianischen Zwergelefanten, die über Jahrtausende schrumpften, bis sie vor 19.000 Jahren ganz verschwanden. Ich wünsche Ihnen viel Vergnügen beim Lesen! (Dr. Jana Scholz)
The majority of middle-age children do not meet current physical activity guidelines. There is growing evidence that adults' physical activity is partially influenced by automatic affective processes, which are derived from affective experiences with physical activity.
However, little is known about whether these processes are interrelated with children's physical activity level.
A prospective design was used to examine whether automatic affective processes assessed by an evaluative priming procedure predict physical activity of children.
Physical activity of 48 children (8.71 +/- 0.71 years; 65% girls) was measured for 1 week with activity trackers.
In a linear regression model, automatic affective processes (beta = 0.36) significantly predicted physical activity, accounting for 11.02% of variance.
These results indicate that physical-activity-related automatic affective processes are associated with children's physical activity, as has previously been found in adults.
This study emphasizes the importance of fostering positive affective experiences associated with physical activity during childhood.