Self-efficacy's role in determining perceived and sustained effort during an isometric handgrip task was assessed using a repeated measures experimental design. Moderately active, predominantly Caucasian, participants (male = 33, female = 39, M = 19.18 years, SD = .74) were recruited from the southeastern United States. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: High-efficacy (HE), low-efficacy (LE), or control. Efficacy expectations were manipulated via false performance feedback. During the task participants provided differentiated ratings of perceived effort at 15-s intervals. Effort tolerance was determined by the length of time the participant could maintain the task. Repeated measures (RM) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated the HE group found the task less strenuous and more enjoyable than the LE or control group. Furthermore, the HE group demonstrated greater tolerance of the task than either the LE or control group. These findings imply that self-efficacy has a major role in enhancing performance and physical effort tolerance.

There is a paucity of work addressing the distractive, affect-enhancing, and motivational influences of music and video in combination during exercise. We examined the effects of music and music-and-video on a range of psychological and psychophysical variables during treadmill running at intensities above and below ventilatory threshold (VT). Participants (N = 24) exercised at 10 % of maximal capacity below VT and 10 % above under music-only, music-and-video, and control conditions. There was a condition × intensity × time interaction for perceived activation and state motivation, and an intensity × time interaction for state attention, perceived exertion (RPE), and affective valence. The music-and-video condition elicited the highest levels of dissociation, lowest RPE, and most positive affective responses regardless of exercise intensity. Attentional manipulations influence psychological and psychophysical variables at exercise intensities above and below VT, and this effect is enhanced by the combined presentation of auditory and visual stimuli.

This study explored the influence of self-selected music on affect-regulated exercise intensity and remembered pleasure. A total of 17 active male and female participants (28.1 ± 9.9 years; BMI 23.8 ± 3.2 kg/m2; oxygen uptake (VO2) peak 48.73 ± 8.73 ml.min−1.kg−1) completed a maximal exercise test, and each individual’s ventilatory threshold was identified. Following this, two treadmill exercise trials were performed at an intensity that was perceived to correspond to a Feeling Scale value of +3 (i.e., “good”). Sessions with either self-selected music or no music were completed 48 hr apart and in a randomized counterbalanced order. Affective responses (Feeling Scale) and heart rate were measured during exercise and remembered pleasure was measured 5 min post exercise. Results indicated that participants selected an exercise intensity that exceeded their ventilatory threshold during the two affect-regulated exercise sessions (p = .002, d = .99). Participants exercised with greater intensity during affect-regulated exercise with music than without (p = .045; d = 1.12) while maintaining a “good” feeling. Furthermore, participants recalled the music session as more pleasurable than the no-music session (p = .001; d = .72). These results illustrate a positive ergogenic and psychological influence of music during affect-regulated exercise. Encouraging individuals to exercise at an intensity that feels “good” elicits an exercise intensity sufficient to garner cardiorespiratory benefits and may lead to improved adherence. Moreover, the use of self-selected music appears to augment this effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

We examined independent and combined influences of asynchronous music and dominant attentional style (DAS) on psychological and psychophysical variables during exercise using mixed methods. Participants (N = 34) were grouped according to DAS and completed treadmill runs at three intensities (low, moderate, high) crossed with three music conditions (motivational, oudeterous, no-music control). State attentional focus shifted from dissociative to associative with increasing intensity and was most aligned with DAS during moderate-intensity exercise. Both music conditions facilitated dissociation at low-to-moderate intensities. At high exercise intensity, both music conditions were associated with reduced RPE among participants with an associative DAS. Dissociators reported higher RPE overall during moderate and high intensities. Psychological responses were most positive in the motivational condition, followed by oudeterous and control. Findings illustrate the relevance of individual differences in DAS as well as task intensity and duration when selecting music for exercise.