Changing implicit attitudes for physical activity with associative learning: Null findings from an experimental study conducted in pulmonary rehabilitation

Enjoy exercise more: The effects of dual-channel evaluative conditioning on implicit attitudes toward exercise

Researchers have been looking for effective interventions to promote physical activity due to its great impact on both physical and mental health. In two studies, the current research investigated (1) whether evaluative conditioning could increase implicit attitudes toward exercise; (2) whether dual-channel evaluative conditioning had a greater influence compared to single-channel evaluative conditioning. In Study 1, results from 32 participants (7 males, 25 females; Mage  = 19.470, SDage  = 1.174) were used to compare the audiovisual dual-channel with the visual single-channel evaluative conditioning. In Study 2, we analyzed data from 100 participants (35 males, 65 females; Mage  = 20.990, SDage  = 3.141) and compared the visual-kinesthetic dual-channel with the visual single-channel evaluative conditioning. The results showed that individuals' implicit attitudes toward exercise were more positively affected by dual-channel than single-channel evaluative conditioning.

The association between implicit attitudes toward physical activity and physical activity behaviour: a systematic review and correlational meta-analysis

As a result of recent calls to attend to the implicit processes that regulate health behaviours, the study of implicit attitudes and physical activity behaviour has grown rapidly in the past decade. The aim of this study was to summarise existing evidence on the extent to which implicit attitudes toward physical activity are associated with physical activity behaviour. A systematic literature review was performed to retrieve studies reporting both a measure of implicit attitudes and physical activity. For the meta-analysis, effect size (Pearson's r) were extracted from eligible studies or retrieved from authors. A total of 26 independent studies, and 55 effect sizes, were eligible. There was a small, significant, and positive correlation between implicit attitudes and physical activity, a finding replicated across multiple meta-analytical strategies with sensitivity analyses applied. This association was not significantly moderated by study design or objective, participants' age or other characteristics, or measures of implicit attitudes or physical activity. This meta-analysis provides evidence that implicit attitudes toward physical activity are positively associated with physical activity in adults to a small degree.