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12.2: Measuring Affective Responses in an Exercise Setting- An Example Vignette

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    112057
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    To illustrate a new concept, it may be helpful to begin with an example of what should not be imitated. This example can then be revisited to illustrate how various concepts could be more appropriately applied. Here, we present a realistic scenario that should not be recreated. As you progress through this chapter, we hope that the weaknesses of this approach become clearer. Near the end of this chapter, we will present an example of another realistic scenario demonstrating better, evidence-based measurement techniques. Our goal is to allow readers to understand not only how to measure affective responses to exercise but why these measurement techniques should be chosen. To avoid confusion, let us be clear: The following vignette demonstrates flawed or misguided measurement practices. Though many of the decisions in the following vignette may seem reasonable at first glance(and you may have seen them employed by others in the field), careful consideration of the concepts discussed in this chapter should reveal ample room for improvement.

    12.2.1. Poor Measurement Technique: A Vignette

    Pat walked into the student fitness center, with the excitement of a new semester, and the goal to start an exercise program to improve his health. Pat is 19 years old and has never been a regular exerciser. In fact, Pat perceives the fitness center as if it were an alien planet. Pat meets with his personal trainer, Terry, a senior exercise and sport science major. Terry appears very fit, wearing a tight, sleeveless shirt that reveals his muscularity. In addition to assessing Pat's health history, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular fitness, Terry mentions that he is interested in measuring how Pat feels during exercise.

    Terry: We’re going to measure your affective responses to exercise.

    Pat: Affective responses? What does that mean?

    Terry: We’re going to find out how exercise makes you feel. “Affect” is basically another way of saying your “emotions” or “mood”. Exercise has been shown to make you feel better.

    Pat: Sounds interesting... What do you need me to do?

    Terry: Before we start, I want you to complete this survey, called the Physical Activity Affect Scale (PAAS; Lox et al., 2000). The PAAS measures how exercise changes your mood and emotions. Then, you will complete an exercise session at a moderate intensity for 20 minutes. After you’re finished, you will complete the PAAS again, and we’ll see how the exercise made you feel.

    Pat: Why are we using this scale?

    Terry: The PAAS (Lox et al., 2000) has been used to measure affective responses in many other exercise studies, and, just like the name suggests,it is a measure of affective responses to physical activity.

    During the exercise session, a few of Pat's classmates walked into the fitness center. Some of them noticed he was completing exercise testing, and this made Pat feel uncomfortable, judged, and discouraged. Pat felt anxious about how his body and exercise performance looked to his classmates while he was exercising. After completing the exercise bout, Terry smiled and congratulated Pat for doing a good job before giving him the Physical Activity Affect Scale to complete a second time. To Terry’s surprise, compared to baseline, Pat’s responses indicated less positive affect, more negative affect, less tranquility, and more fatigue following exercise. Terry concluded that the exercise session must have depressed Pat's mood. Because Pat reported feeling worse after moderate-intensity exercise, Terry concluded that this intensity may not be a good component of an exercise prescription for Pat.

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    This page titled 12.2: Measuring Affective Responses in an Exercise Setting- An Example Vignette was last modified on Mon, 27 Jan 2025 09:04:30 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Zachary Zenko and Matthew A. Ladwig (Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.