Work

Uncovering the roles of automatic attitudes and controlled processes in the regulation of physical activity behavior in children

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Despite substantial research efforts to increase engagement in physical activity (PA), children are not sufficiently active. Dual-process theories suggest that PA behavior regulation occurs through both controlled (i.e., reflective, conscious) and automatic (i.e., non-reflective, less conscious) processes. Automatic processes depend on affective valuations and attitudes towards PA and have been shown to predict PA behavior. However, their role in PA behavior regulation in children remains unclear. Therefore, the current study investigated the unique association of automatic attitudes towards PA on self-reported seven-day PA recall, after accounting for the effects of known controlled precursors of PA (i.e., explicit attitudes, PA self-efficacy, and PA intentions). In a cross-sectional design, 69 children (age = 10.8 ± 0.6 years) completed the Single-Category Implicit Association Task (SC-IAT) and self-reported measures of PA and controlled precursors of PA. In a hierarchical regression analysis, controlled processes accounted for 28.3 % of the variance in PA behavior. Although the bivariate association between automatic attitudes and PA was not significant, the association between them became significant but negative in the fully adjusted model (b = −1.70; p = 0.025). The fully adjusted model accounted for 35.0 % of the variance in PA. In summary, the findings indicated that both controlled and automatic processes predicted PA in children, although the association with automatic attitudes was not in the expected direction in the adjusted model. Future studies are warranted to further understand the role of automatic processes in the regulation of PA behavior in children. • Automatic attitudes and controlled precursors of physical activity were measured. • Self-efficacy predicted physical activity through intentions, supporting established theories. • Both automatic attitudes and controlled processes predicted physical activity. • Automatic attitudes negatively predicted physical activity when accounting for controlled processes. • More research is needed on automatic processes behind children’s physical activity.

Source: Psychology of sport and exercise

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102750

Authors: Mohammed Khudair, Boris Cheval, Fiona Chun Man Ling, Florentina Johanna Hettinga, Gavin Daniel Tempest

Institutions: Northumbria University, Cardiff University, École Normale Supérieure de Rennes, Valeurs, Innovations, Politiques, Socialisations et Sports, Université de Rennes

Language: English

Topic: Physical Activity and Health

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,660