AATP Journals

Do prediction errors of perceived exertion inform the level of running pleasure? Humans have the ability to mentally project themselves into future events (prospective thinking) to promote the implementation of health-oriented behaviors, such as the planning of daily physical exercise sessions. Nevertheless, it is currently unclear whether and how prospective thinking can assist individuals in generating future predictions about their own bodily states, such as when anticipating the level of perceived exertion to be experienced in a forthcoming physical exercise session and whether these predictions influence the subjective experience of pleasure in a session. Here, based on the literature on reward prediction errors, we argue that running sessions that are experienced with a lower intensity of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) than expected are associated with a higher level of pleasure and vice versa. To test this hypothesis, we created a novel marker, the RPE-based prediction error, by comparing RPE before (prospective RPE) and after (retrospective RPE) each running session among participants in a start-to-run program (N = 66). Retrospective ratings of running pleasure were assessed by the participant after each running session of the program. Using this approach, linear mixed models showed that a positive RPE-based prediction error (lower score of retrospective RPE than prospective RPE) is associated with a higher level of retrospective pleasure. This study thus demonstrates that the use of prospective and retrospective RPE is beneficial for predicting the experience of running pleasure. We further discuss how future studies should help to better understand the impact of RPE-based prediction error on exercise pleasure and whether this new marker may be used to ultimately impact humans’ commitment to physical exercise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Mon, 26 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Mindfulness interventions during exercise: More pleasant core affective feelings for regular exercisers but not for the physically inactive. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness in improving affect during moderate-intensity exercise and to test the hypothesis that this intervention is particularly beneficial for those who are already sufficiently active. Two groups of sufficiently and insufficiently active participants were recruited to complete a 20-min moderate-intensity exercise (based on 55%–65% of heart rate reserve) on treadmill in three different experimental conditions (mindfulness, attention distraction, and no-intervention control) in a randomized order. Core affective valence was measured repeatedly during exercise. Linear mixed-effects modeling and subsequent Tukey post hoc comparisons revealed that more positive affective responses occurred in the mindfulness condition than in attention distraction and control conditions, but only among those who reported sufficient physical activity in their daily lives. We also found that participants in the insufficiently active group experienced more pleasant feelings in the attention distraction condition than in the control condition. Additional exploratory analysis suggested that all participants reported a more positive forecasted affect for exercising in the future in mindfulness and attention distraction conditions, whereas only the sufficiently active group reported greater postexercise enjoyment after mindfulness condition. We interpret these findings as evidence that nonregular exercisers should be advised to divert their attention from their bodily sensations during moderate-intensity physical activity rather than to be mindful, which is more appropriate for those who are already used to regular exercise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Effects of partial sleep deprivation on visual search behavior and complex task performance under low and high threat. [Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 13(4) of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (see record 2025-49203-001). “Effects of Partial Sleep Deprivation on Visual Search Behavior and Complex Task Performance Under Low and High Threat,” by Arne Nieuwenhuys (Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2024, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 340–354, https://doi.org/10 .1037/spy0000346), is being made available with open access under the CC BY 4.0 license following the University of Auckland opt-in to the CAUL/APA Read and Publish agreement. The correct copyright is “© 2024 The Author(s)” and the CC BY license disclaimer is below: Open Access funding provided by The University of Auckland: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). This license permits copying and redistributing the work in any medium or format, as well as adapting the material for any purpose, even commercially. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Available neurophysiological evidence suggests that a lack of sleep can increase emotional brain responding and decrease cognitive control in negative affective task contexts. To consider potential behavioral implications, the present study examined effects of partial sleep deprivation on complex perceptual-motor performance under low and high threat. Using a within-between design, 64 healthy participants underwent a 3-day home-based sleep-deprivation protocol (5 hr vs. 8 hr sleep opportunity per night) and subsequently performed a complex perceptual-motor task that required them to single-handedly move small colored objects from one instrumented panel to another—matching a target layout that was presented on a computer screen. During the task, threat was manipulated in a performance-contingent manner, with participants running the risk of being exposed to loud (100 dB; threat) versus quiet (50 dB; no-threat) noise bursts whenever they made a task error or slowed down their performance. Dependent variables included measures of performance effectiveness (completion time) and performance efficiency (task errors, object placement and pickup times, visual search behavior). Manipulation checks reflected good protocol compliance and effective manipulations of sleep deprivation and threat. Results showed that, while being anxiety-provoking, threat increased task engagement and effectively motivated participants to speed up their performance, without causing more errors. Partial sleep deprivation, however, did not meaningfully impact task performance, nor did it compromise participants’ ability to adaptively respond to threat. It is concluded that complex perceptual-motor performance under threat is relatively robust against effects of partial sleep deprivation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Correction to “Effects of partial sleep deprivation on visual search behavior and complex task performance under low and high threat,” by Nieuwenhuys (2024). Reports an error in "Effects of partial sleep deprivation on visual search behavior and complex task performance under low and high threat" by Arne Nieuwenhuys (Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Mar 28, 2024, np). “Effects of Partial Sleep Deprivation on Visual Search Behavior and Complex Task Performance Under Low and High Threat,” by Arne Nieuwenhuys (Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2024, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 340–354, https://doi.org/10 .1037/spy0000346), is being made available with open access under the CC BY 4.0 license following the University of Auckland opt-in to the CAUL/APA Read and Publish agreement. The correct copyright is “© 2024 The Author(s)” and the CC BY license disclaimer is below: Open Access funding provided by The University of Auckland: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). This license permits copying and redistributing the work in any medium or format, as well as adapting the material for any purpose, even commercially. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2024-67596-001.) Available neurophysiological evidence suggests that a lack of sleep can increase emotional brain responding and decrease cognitive control in negative affective task contexts. To consider potential behavioral implications, the present study examined effects of partial sleep deprivation on complex perceptual-motor performance under low and high threat. Using a within-between design, 64 healthy participants underwent a 3-day home-based sleep-deprivation protocol (5 hr vs. 8 hr sleep opportunity per night) and subsequently performed a complex perceptual-motor task that required them to single-handedly move small colored objects from one instrumented panel to another—matching a target layout that was presented on a computer screen. During the task, threat was manipulated in a performance-contingent manner, with participants running the risk of being exposed to loud (100 dB; threat) versus quiet (50 dB; no-threat) noise bursts whenever they made a task error or slowed down their performance. Dependent variables included measures of performance effectiveness (completion time) and performance efficiency (task errors, object placement and pickup times, visual search behavior). Manipulation checks reflected good protocol compliance and effective manipulations of sleep deprivation and threat. Results showed that, while being anxiety-provoking, threat increased task engagement and effectively motivated participants to speed up their performance, without causing more errors. Partial sleep deprivation, however, did not meaningfully impact task performance, nor did it compromise participants’ ability to adaptively respond to threat. It is concluded that complex perceptual-motor performance under threat is relatively robust against effects of partial sleep deprivation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

A cluster-randomized controlled trial to increase youth ice hockey coaches’ beliefs and use of need-supportive styles. Few educational programs to nurture coach need-supportive behaviors have been delivered by sport governing bodies (Evans et al., 2015). Consequently, the potential for such programs to meaningfully change coaches’ interpersonal behaviors requires further investigation (Cushion et al., 2010). Grounded in self-determination theory, we hypothesized that participation in an educational program would increase youth ice hockey coaches’ self-reported beliefs (e.g., effectiveness; Hypothesis 1) and application (Hypothesis 2) of need-supportive coaching styles. The study comprised 52 intervention coaches and 40 wait-list control group coaches enrolled in a 2-day regular education. Data were collected before the education with follow-up assessments 1½ and 3 weeks later. We used multigroup multilevel growth models to analyze the change trajectories of the outcomes. A significant group difference was shown for competence support, for which the intervention group exhibited a greater increase than the control group (Δ = 0.14, SE = 0.05, p = .004). Further, the findings revealed significant increases in the intervention group’s effectiveness (slope mean = 0.11, p = .013) and easy-to-implement beliefs (slope mean = 0.18, p = .026); both conditions significantly increased in autonomy support (intervention group: slope mean = 0.25, p = .006; control group: slope mean = 0.11, p = .006). We found no significant change in the normative beliefs or relatedness support in any condition. The study demonstrates the benefits of a self-determination theory-based coach intervention advocating the collaboration between researchers and sport governing bodies in designing, implementing, and evaluating such endeavors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Role dynamics in individual sport teams. Though interdependent teams have received the most empirical attention in sport group dynamics research, scholars have also asserted the need to consider the dynamics of individual sport teams (e.g., wrestling, swimming). Indeed, athletes participating in prototypical individual sports have a group identity, and their experiences are significantly influenced by others who share the same group identity. The present study explored the antecedents and outcomes of roles—a structural element that identifies members’ responsibilities in their group—in individual sport teams. Data were gathered by conducting individual interviews with 19 former and current athletes (nine males and 10 females; M_age = 20.5 years) and were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis. Results indicated that leadership roles such as captainship, informal leadership, and mentorship were critical. Some athletes discussed that they were assigned captainship because of their informal leadership behaviors and believed that this led to the creation of unnecessary hierarchies. Various other roles were identified, including team comedians, social conveners, spark plugs, encouragers, team mediators, and negative informal roles, all of which were perceived to influence the group environment. Additionally, role dynamics were influenced by several group-related aspects that were unique in individual sports, such as the lack of positional competitions and the formation of subgroups based on competition events. These findings fill a gap in the literature by highlighting the relevance of roles in individual sport teams and provide a foundation for researchers to further explore the nature of role dynamics and identify related strategies to optimize individual sport environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Approaches to manage performance breakdowns due to reinvestment in sports tasks: A systematic review. Reinvestment, defined as consciously monitoring and controlling movements and/or decision processes, can lead to performance breakdowns in sports. Different types of interventions aimed at helping athletes to maintain or improve performance have been developed. The present work systematically evaluated the research on interventions used to alleviate reinvestment-related performance breakdowns in sport-specific tasks. Seventeen randomized and nonrandomized interventions with a total of 996 participants were included. Six studies implemented interventions during motor learning, two studies targeted the potential reinvestment trigger, and nine studies manipulated the attentional focus during performance. Interventions were deemed successful if any of the following outcomes were achieved: Performance was maintained or increased solely in high reinvesters, reinvestment did not/no longer predicted performance deterioration or correlated less negatively/did not correlate with performance during or after the intervention, in contrast to the comparative intervention or control group, or to performance prior to the intervention. While 13 interventions successfully stabilized or improved performance, only four interventions manipulating the attentional focus (i.e., dual-task focus, internal focus, or verbalization of performance) showed positive reinvestment-specific effects. However, results are preliminary, as the reviewed evidence on attentional focus manipulation is contradicting. Methodological shortcomings limit evidence, as most studies did not consider prerequisites for the reinvestment occurrence, such as performance pressure as a situational trigger, at least partial automatization of the skill, and a certain level of task complexity. Future research needs to design studies that maximize the likelihood of reinvestment occurrence and develop measures of state reinvestment enabling manipulation checks. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Athlete burnout and mental and physical health: A three-wave longitudinal study of direct and reciprocal effects. Burnout is a mental health-related problem in athletes that may also be linked to further adverse mental and physical health problems. However, longitudinal research in this area is scarce. The studies that do exist have yet to test possible reciprocal effects while accounting for the multilevel structure of longitudinal data. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to examine longitudinal and reciprocal relationships between athlete burnout and a number of health variables. To do so, we used a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model to disaggregate between- and within-person effects. Based on existing literature, we chose to focus on physical symptoms, illness, depressive symptoms, sleep disruptions, and life satisfaction as the health variables of interest. Following a preregistered protocol with open data, materials, and code, we recruited a sample of 267 competitive athletes who completed measures at three timepoints over 6 months. At the between-person level, we found athlete burnout to be associated with all examined health variables. At the within-person level, emotional and physical exhaustion was found to predict increases in depressive symptoms, sleep disruptions were found to predict increases in devaluation, and life satisfaction was found to predict decreases in total burnout, exhaustion, and reduced sense of accomplishment. The findings demonstrate that athlete burnout increases the risk for certain health consequences such as depressive symptoms, and reciprocal findings suggest that sleep and satisfaction-based interventions (e.g., sleep hygiene training and positive psychology interventions) may be able to protect against burnout development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
View Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT