Veranstaltungsprogramm

Physical activity is a complex and multifaceted behavior, increasingly conceptualized as interplay of various cognitive and affective processes (amongst others; Rhodes et al., 2019). However, considerable gaps remain in research on these processes (e.g., Ekkekakis, 2017), hindering theoretical advancement and effective intervention design. To address these gaps, five contributions focusing on diverse populations, methods, and variables examine and expand research on the link between cognitive and affective processes and physical effort and physical activity. In the first contribution, Weyland et al. investigate the importance of various personality traits for understanding the association between physical activity enjoyment and physical activity instigation habits. Results from a cross-sectional study suggest that neuroticism, but not extraversion or consciousness, moderates this association. This finding might be the basis for tailoring physical activity interventions to individual personality profiles. In the second contribution, Feil et al. report a scoping review of 33 studies on the association of anticipated affect with physical activity and associated psychological constructs (e.g., intention, affect). They found support for this link, and additionally shed light on potential moderators and mechanisms. Interestingly, evidence emerged for the importance of affective forecasting errors and intervention approaches. The third contribution by Weiler et al. investigates mental fatigue in a qualitative survey study involving athletes, coaches, and sports psychologists. Their results highlight the relevance of mental fatigue in realistic sports contexts, confirming and extending previous findings from standardized lab studies. Additional insights about antecedents and consequences of mental fatigue will help practitioners to prevent and manage mental fatigue. In the fourth contribution, Bieleke et al. examine whether people assign value to physical effort by developing the Value of Physical Effort (VoPE) scale. Across three studies, the VoPE scale is shown to be an efficient, reliable, and valid instrument that predicts physical exercise and activity. Psychometric network modeling attests to the unique contribution of the VoPE scale beyond existing instruments. The fifth contribution by Wolff et al. uses the VoPE scale to investigate differences between preferences for physical versus cognitive effort in laboratory and real-world decision-making contexts. Their results show that valuing physical versus cognitive effort is differentially linked to choices in binary games (e.g., preference for physical versus cognitive effort) and school grades (e.g., better grades in sports versus math). This symposium sheds novel light on cognitive and affective determinants and consequences of physical effort and physical activity, laying the foundation for theoretical advancement and improved intervention design.

Dual-process theories emphasize the role of affect and habit for the maintenance of physical activity (e.g., Strobach et al., 2020). One study found that on the between-subject level, the valence of affective responses and habit were positively related (Weyland et al., 2020). Teixeira et al. (2022) argue that while recent literature emphasizes the importance of enjoyment for physical activity maintenance, it has been neglected to examine interindividual differences that moderate the “enjoyment effect” on outcomes like habit. In a meta-analysis, extraversion, neuroticism, and consciousness were related to physical activity (Rhodes & Smith, 2006) and given that behavior repetition might lead to habit formation (Gardner & Lally, 2018), these Big Five traits were analyzed in the study presented. Further, it was shown that personality traits are related to physical activity enjoyment (Engels et al., 2022). We aimed to examine whether extraversion, neuroticism, and consciousness moderate the relation between physical activity enjoyment and physical activity instigation habit. Participants completed a survey that included measures of physical activity enjoyment (PACES-S; Chen et al., 2021), physical activity instigation habit (SRBAI; Gardner et al., 2012), and personality traits (NEO-FFI-30; Körner et al., 2008). We applied Hayes' PROCESS macro for SPSS (controlled for age and gender). Data from 578 individuals aged 18 to 79 (M = 29.50, SD = 12.55, Mdn = 25.00; 55.7 % feminine) was analyzed. All main effects were significant, meaning that enjoyment and the personality traits were related to habit. However, only neuroticism was a significant moderator of the enjoyment-habit relation. In this regression (F = 39.498, R2 = .257, p < .001), enjoyment was positively associated with habit (β = .446, p < .001), neuroticism was negatively associated with habit (β = -.079, p < .05), and the interaction between enjoyment and neuroticism was positively associated with habit (β = .083, p < .05). The unique explained variance of the interaction was only .009. More modern approaches such as emotional styles theory (Davidson & Begley, 2012) or a more differentiated analysis of facet traits are recommended for future research. In general, neuroticism negatively correlates with physical activity enjoyment (e.g., Engels et al., 2022), but it seems that people high in neuroticism are more likely to form habits once they do experience physical activity enjoyment. Further knowledge of individual factors explaining the relationship between affect-related constructs and habit could help to design interventions tailored to personality that might be more promising than previous ones.

The predictive function of our brain allows us to make many decisions every day (Bubic et al., 2010). Before we decide for a behavior, our brain anticipates possible consequences and evaluates what they mean for our body and mind (Hoemann et al., 2016). These anticipations may also include emotional reactions (Baumeister et al., 2007) to future physical activity behavior, which can influence our decisions about engaging in physical activity or not (Feil et al., 2022). The aim of this scoping review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature on the role of anticipated emotions in the context of physical activity. For that, an exploratory approach was chosen in form of a scoping review. Thus, studies on the relationships between anticipated affective constructs (including the terms affect, emotions, and mood) and (a) psychological constructs related to physical activity or (b) physical activity behavior, were reviewed. A search term consisting of two parts, one regarding anticipated affective constructs and one reflecting the context of physical activity, was used in five data bases yielding 5400 records. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full-texts independently and identified 33 seperate studies. Study results were first deductively allocated to one of the two outlined categories and then inductively summarized, resulting in five groups. Study results allocated to (1) were about (1a) PA intention, (1b) affective experience, and (1c) other psychological constructs. Study results relevant to (2) were about (2a) physical activity behavior, and (2b) the design of physical activity sessions. Overall, anticipated affective constructs were associated with psychological constructs related to physical activity, but the direction of these relationships was dependent on the reference point of anticipated affective constructs. For example, anticipated regret mostly referred to the absence of physical activity, while anticipated positive emotions such as enjoyment were rather related to participating in physical activity. Additionally, the majority of studies found a forecasting error in which participants underestimated how positive their emotions during or after physical activity actually would be. Only four quantitative and two qualitative studies were identified that focused on the direct relationship between anticipated affective constructs and physical activity revealing mixed results. Additionally, authors assume that anticipated affective constructs may rather influence psychological constructs, which in turn facilitate physical activity behavior than predicting physical activity directly. Three studies showed promising intervention approaches aiming to increase positive anticipated affective reactions including for example, specific workout designs or self-reflection. Future research should further examine the predictive power of anticipated affective constructs regarding physical activity behavior and relevant psychological constructs such as intention and affective experiences.

Bei mentaler Ermüdung handelt es sich um einen psychobiologischen Zustand, der als Konsequenz langanhaltender selbstregulatorischer Anforderungen eintreten kann (Van Cutsem & Marcora, 2021). Bisherige empirische Untersuchungen im Forschungsfeld der mentalen Ermüdung basierten primär auf quantitativen experimentellen orschungsansätzen sowie hoch standardisierten Labor- und laborähnlichen Forschungsdesigns, um die Ursachen und Auswirkungen von mentaler Ermüdung zu untersuchen (vgl. Englert, Pageaux, & Wolff, 2020). Doch obwohl die damit einhergehende Studienlage vergleichsweise konsistent erscheint, wird immer wieder der Mangel an ökologisch validen Vergleichsstudien bzw. die fehlende Übertragbarkeit der Studienergebnisse in das Anwendungsfeld kritisiert (Englert, 2016; Gantois, et al., 2020; Kunrath, Cardoso, Calvo, & Costa, 2020). Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, diese Lücke zu schließen und mentale Ermüdung im Leistungssport unter realen Rahmenbedingungen zu untersuchen. Dies erfolgte anhand von theoriegeleiteten, semistrukturierten Einzelinterviews. Es wurden insgesamt 15 Interviews mit LeistungssportlerInnen (n = 5), TrainerInnen (n = 5) und erfahrenen SportpsychologInnen (d.h. berufliche Erfahrung seit mind. 5 Jahren; n = 5) durchgeführt. Folgende Dimensionen mentaler Ermüdung wurden dabei diskutiert: Begrifflichkeit, Abgrenzung mentaler Ermüdung von körperlicher Ermüdung, Symptome von mentaler Ermüdung, Gründe/Induktion von mentaler Ermüdung, zeitlicher Verlauf von mentaler Ermüdung, Auswirkungen von mentaler Ermüdung auf die (sportliche) Leistungsfähigkeit sowie potentielle Interventionsmöglichkeiten, um mentaler Ermüdung entgegenzuwirken bzw. dieser vorzubeugen (Russell, 2019). Die Auswertung der Audiodaten erfolgte anhand der (inhaltlich) strukturierenden Inhaltsanalyse gemäß Mayring (2010). Erste Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mentale Ermüdung ein relevantes Thema im (leistungs-) sportlichen Kontext darstellt und die Arbeit von AthletInnen beeinflusst bzw. bei der Zusammenarbeit von AthletInnen mit TrainerInnen bzw. SportpsychologInnen berücksichtigt werden sollte. Die Befunde liefern wertvolle Hinweise auf die Antezedenzien und Konsequenzen mentaler Ermüdung unter realen Bedingungen im Leistungssport und bieten einen innovativen Ansatzpunkt für angewandte SportpsychologInnen, mentaler Ermüdung vorzubeugen bzw. akuter mentaler Ermüdung entgegenzuwirken.

Physical effort is required for initiating and maintaining many everyday activities. Until recently, it has been conceptualized as costly and aversive experience (e.g., Kurzban, 2016; Kool & Botvinick, 2014). All other things equal, this perspective assumes that people should select the option involving the least effort whenever they possibly can (i.e., obey to the “law of least effort;” Hull, 1943). However, this assumption is hard to reconcile with the observation that many people engage in sports and exercise in the absence of tangible rewards (e.g., city marathons), investing time and money and accepting the possibility of injury. It thus seems that people assign at least some value to physical effort, consistent with findings from domain-general research on effort (Inzlicht et al., 2018). To probe this intuition and provide a basis for systematic empirical scrutiny, we developed and examined the 4-item Value of Physical Effort (VoPE) scale. In Study 1 (N = 264, 48.5% female, Mage = 27.9 years, SD = 11.7), we established the unidimensional structure (e.g., RMSEA = 0.000, 95% CI [0.000, 0.092]) and internal consistency (omega = 0.86) of the VoPE scale. Attesting to its external validity, individuals with a history of participating in sport competitions displayed higher VoPE scores than individuals with no such history (d = 0.60, 95% CI [0.33,0.86]). In Study 2 (N = 197, 36.0% female, Mage = 38.2 years, SD = 9.1), we demonstrated the test-retest reliability of the VoPE scale over the course of six weeks (ICC = 0.76, bias < .01). Moreover, higher VoPE scores predicted future strenuous (beta = 0.47, p < .001) and moderate (beta = 0.35, p < .001) physical activity. In Study 3 (N = 806, 48.5% female, Mage = 40.4 years, SD = 11.3), psychometric network modeling revealed positive regularized partial correlations of VoPE scores with the preference for exercise intensity (r = 0.21), exercise addiction (r = 0.16), an autotelic personality trait (r = 0.09), and some facets of intrinsic motivation (0.05 < r < 0.17), as well as a negative link to exercise-related boredom (r = -0.11). In summary, three independent studies involving more than 1,000 participants yield robust evidence for the idea that people value physical effort to varying degrees. It can be efficiently measured with the VoPE scale, which is a short, reliable, and valid instrument that predicts sports and exercise behavior and extends the sport psychological toolbox for understanding exercise motivation.

Effort is understood to be instrumental for goal pursuit. But its exertion is aversive and people tend to employ it as little as possible. Contrary to this general law of least effort, research shows that effort is sometimes also treated as being valuable in its own right, and people exhibit stable differences with respect to their valuation of effort. Critically, research that investigates if this valuation of effort is domain-general or specific to the mental or physical domain is lacking. While some evidence points towards a shared neurocomputational architecture of mental and physical effort, less is known with respect to the generalization or differentiation of their valuation. Simply put, do people value (or not) any effort or are preferences specific to the mental and/or physical domain. Here, we investigate this question with a formalized mathematical approach (study 1) and from a developmental perspective (study 2). Study 1 employed a validated choice paradigm to measure preferences – regarding the relative maximization or minimization of mental and physical effort - within a decomposed binary game.. In a sample of N = 299 paid online workers (Mturk; n = 113 female, Mage = 38.79 ± 11.24 years), we find that people differ markedly with respect to their preferred effort configuration and lending support that humans generally tend to avoid physical effort if possible. Importantly, the disposition to value mental effort was linked to a preference bias towards high mental effort, whereas the disposition to value physical effort was associated with a relative preference for physical effort. Importantly, multinomial regression analyses revealed that the disposition to value mental effort, measured with the VoPe scale (Bieleke et al., in preparation), was linked to a preference bias towards high mental effort. Whereas the disposition to value physical effort was associated with a relative preference for physical effort. In study 2, we tested the robustness of lab-derived differentiated effort preferences in a field context: In a sample of N = 300 schoolchildren (n = 185 female, Mage = 15.18 ± 1.54 years), we find that the disposition to value mental effort statistically predicts better grades in mathematics but not in sport, whereas valuing physical effort predicts better grades in sport but not in mathematics. Supporting the hypothesis that people find activities of low value to be boring, valuing mental effort is linked to less boredom in mathematics and valuing physical effort is linked to less boredom in sports. Taken together, these results suggest that people are highly specific in the type of effort they value (or not), and these preferences are present already at very young age. This has theoretical and practical implication with respect to how people approach effortful tasks.