scholarly journals Changes in Psychological and Cognitive Outcomes after Green versus Suburban Walking: A Pilot Crossover Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 2894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junia N. de Brito ◽  
Zachary C. Pope ◽  
Nathan R. Mitchell ◽  
Ingrid E. Schneider ◽  
Jean M. Larson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Crossover Study ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Directed Attention ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

This study investigated the acute effects of repeated walking sessions within green and suburban environments on participants’ psychological (anxiety and mood) and cognitive (directed-attention) outcomes. Twenty-three middle-aged adults (19 female) participated in a non-randomized crossover study comprised of once-weekly 50-min moderate-intensity walking sessions. Participants walked for three weeks in each of two treatment conditions: green and suburban, separated by a two-week washout period. Eleven participants completed green walking first and 12 suburban walking first. For each walk, we used validated psychological questionnaires to measure pre- and post-walk scores for: (1) mood, evaluated via the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS); (2) anxiety, assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S); and (3) directed-attention, measured using the visual Backwards Digit Span test (BDS). Repeated measures linear mixed models assessed pre- to post-walk changes within-treatment conditions and post-walk contrasts between-treatment conditions. Results indicated that anxiety decreased after green walking and increased after suburban walking (−1.8 vs. +1.1 units, respectively; p = 0.001). For mood, positive affect improved after green walking and decreased after suburban walking (+2.3 vs. −0.3 units, respectively; p = 0.004), and negative affect decreased after green walking and remained similar after suburban walking (−0.5 vs. 0 units, respectively; p = 0.06). Directed-attention did not improve from pre- to post-walk for either condition. Our results suggested that green walking may be more effective at reducing state anxiety and increasing positive affect compared to suburban walking.

scholarly journals The Effects of Interrupting Sitting Time on Affect and State Anxiety in Children of Healthy Weight and Overweight: A Randomized Crossover Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Zink ◽  
David A. Berrigan ◽  
Miranda M. Broadney ◽  
Faizah Shareef ◽  
Alexia Papachristopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Experimental Conditions

Purpose: Sedentary time relates to higher anxiety and more negative affect in children. This study assessed whether interrupting sitting over 3 hours is sufficient to influence state anxiety, positive affect, or negative affect, and tested weight status as a moderator. Methods: Analyses were the second (preplanned) purpose of a larger study. Children (N = 61; age: mean [SD] = 9.5 [1.3]; 43% healthy weight) completed 2 experimental conditions: continuous sitting for 3 hours and sitting for 3 hours interrupted with walking for 3 minutes in every 30 minutes. State anxiety, positive affect, and negative affect were reported at pretest and posttest. Multilevel models for repeated measures assessed whether experimental condition predicted posttest scores. Results: Experimental condition was unrelated to posttest state anxiety or positive affect. Weight status moderated how experimental condition influenced posttest negative affect (P = .003). Negative affect was lower in the children of healthy weight after interrupted sitting (vs continuous sitting; β = −0.8; 95% confidence interval, −1.5 to 0.0, P = .05), but it was higher in the children with overweight/obesity after interrupted sitting (vs continuous sitting; β = 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.0 to 1.2, P = .06). Conclusions: Interrupting sitting acutely reduced negative affect in children of healthy weight, but not in children with overweight. Further research is needed to better understand the potential emotional benefits of sitting interruptions in youth.

scholarly journals Anxiety and Affect in Successful and Less Successful Elite Female Basketball Players: in-Situ Sampling Before Six Consecutive Games

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Attila Szabo ◽  
Attila Szűcs ◽  
Zoltán Gáspár ◽  
Krisztina Süle
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Competitive Anxiety ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Sport Competition ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
At Home

Abstract Justification and aim of the study: Successful athletes tend to approach contest situations with different psychological mind-set than their less successful counterparts. The aim of this repeated-measures design study was to assess whether a successful (national league third rank) and a less successful (11th rank) first division women’s basketball team differ in anxiety, positive affect, and negative affect before six consecutive games in the annual championship. Methods: Two psychometrically validated questionnaires, the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT; Martens et al., 1990) and the Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) were used to measure pre-competitive anxiety and positive-and negative affect. The scales were completed by first division female basketball players, who were members of either the successful or the less successful team, before six matches; three played at home and three played away from home. Results: Successful players reported lower anxiety before games (effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.2) than less successful players. Both teams displayed more positive affect before the games played at home than before the games played away from home (d = .44). However, ratings of the subjective states varied substantially across the games. Conclusion: The results, interpreted in light of an interactional model (Cerin et al., 2000), show that subjective appraisal of each competition situation yields very specific or unique expectations, which in turn determine the psychological states of the players before the upcoming contest.

scholarly journals Martial Art Training and Cognitive Performance in Middle-Aged Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 277-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Douris ◽  
Christopher Douris ◽  
Nicole Balder ◽  
Michael LaCasse ◽  
Amir Rand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Martial Art ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

AbstractCognitive performance includes the processes of attention, memory, processing speed, and executive functioning, which typically declines with aging. Previous research has demonstrated that aerobic and resistance exercise improves cognitive performance immediately following exercise. However, there is limited research examining the effect that a cognitively complex exercise such as martial art training has on these cognitive processes. Our study compared the acute effects of 2 types of martial art training to aerobic exercise on cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. We utilized a repeated measures design with the order of the 3 exercise conditions randomly assigned and counterbalanced. Ten recreational middle-aged martial artists (mean age = 53.5 ± 8.6 years) participated in 3 treatment conditions: a typical martial art class, an atypical martial art class, and a one-hour walk at a self-selected speed. Cognitive performance was assessed by the Stroop Color and Word test. While all 3 exercise conditions improved attention and processing speed, only the 2 martial art conditions improved the highest order of cognitive performance, executive function. The effect of the 2 martial art conditions on executive function was not different. The improvement in executive function may be due to the increased cortical demand required by the more complex, coordinated motor tasks of martial art exercise compared to the more repetitive actions of walking.

Optimal Experimental Design With Nesting of Persons in Organizations

2013 ◽  
Vol 221 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard J. P. van Breukelen
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Randomized Experiments ◽  
Optimal Sample ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
Sampling Cost ◽  
Nested Designs ◽  
Simple Equations ◽  
Number Of Individuals

This paper introduces optimal design of randomized experiments where individuals are nested within organizations, such as schools, health centers, or companies. The focus is on nested designs with two levels (organization, individual) and two treatment conditions (treated, control), with treatment assignment to organizations, or to individuals within organizations. For each type of assignment, a multilevel model is first presented for the analysis of a quantitative dependent variable or outcome. Simple equations are then given for the optimal sample size per level (number of organizations, number of individuals) as a function of the sampling cost and outcome variance at each level, with realistic examples. Next, it is explained how the equations can be applied if the dependent variable is dichotomous, or if there are covariates in the model, or if the effects of two treatment factors are studied in a factorial nested design, or if the dependent variable is repeatedly measured. Designs with three levels of nesting and the optimal number of repeated measures are briefly discussed, and the paper ends with a short discussion of robust design.

Exercise slightly above the maximal lactate steady state reduces self-efficacy and increases negative affect

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Graeme Wrightson ◽  
Louis Passfield
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Constant Load ◽  
Peak Power Output ◽  
Time To Exhaustion ◽  
Maximal Lactate Steady State

Objectives: To examine the effect of exercise at and slightly above the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) on self-efficacy, affect and effort, and their associations with exercise tolerance.Design: Counterbalanced, repeated measures designMethod: Participants performed two 30‐minute constant‐load cycling exercise at a power output equal to that at MLSS and 10 W above MLSS, immediately followed by a time‐to‐exhaustion test at 80% of their peak power output. Self-efficacy, affect and effort were measured before and after 30 minutes of cycling at and above MLSS.Results: Negative affect and effort higher, and self-efficacy and time to exhaustion were reduced, following cycling at MLSS + 10 W compared to cycling at the MLSS. Following exercise at the MLSS self-efficacy, affect and effort were all associated with subsequent time-to exhaustion. However, following exercise at MLSS + 10 W, only affect was associated with time-to exhaustion. Conclusions: Self efficacy, affect and effort are profoundly affected by physiological state, highlighting the influence of somatic states on perceptions and emotions during exercise. The affective response to exercise appears to be associated with exercise tolerance, indicating that the emotional, as well as physiological, responses should be considered when prescribing exercise training.

scholarly journals Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-481
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p<0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p<0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p<0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p<0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.

scholarly journals Association of Affect and Gait Performance in Dual-Task Walking in Non-Demented Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 287-287
Author(s):  
Deepan Guharajan ◽  
Roee Holtzer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Gait Velocity ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Task Conditions

Abstract Aging populations are at increased risk to experience mobility disability, which is associated with falls, frailty, and mortality. Previous studies have not examined the concurrent associations of both positive and negative affect with gait velocity. We examined whether individual differences in positive and negative affect predicted dual-task performance decrements in velocity in a dual-task (DT) paradigm in non-demented older adults. We hypothesize that positive affect would be associated with lower DT costs, and negative affect would be associated with higher DT costs. Participants (N = 403; mean age, = 76.22 (6.55); females = 56%) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and a DT paradigm that involved three task conditions: Single-Task-Walk (STW), Alpha (cognitive interference requiring participants to recite alternate letters of the alphabet), and Dual-Task-Walk (DTW) requiring participant to perform the two single tasks concurrently. Gait velocity was assessed via an instrumented walkway. As expected, results of a linear mixed effects model (LME) showed a significant decline in gait velocity (cm/s) from STW to DTW (estimate = -11.79; 95%CI = -12.82 to -10.77). LME results further revealed that negative affect was associated with greater decline in gait velocity from STW to DTW (ie., worse DT cost) (estimate = -0.38; 95%CI = -0.73 to -0.03). Positive affect did not, however, predict DT costs in gait velocity (estimate = -0.09; 95%CI = -0.23 to 0.05). These findings suggest that increased negative affect interferes with the allocation of attentional resources to competing task demands inherent in the DT paradigm.

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