Mental Simulation to Promote Exercise Intentions and Behaviors

Mental simulation, which employs specific patterns of imagery, can increase the intention to exercise as well as actual engagement in exercise. The present studies explored the effects of mental simulation on the intention to engage in exercise while regulating emotions. The first study confirmed that mental simulation did promote intentions of participants. The second found that video-primed mental simulation was a more effective method of exercise intention promotion than semantic-primed and image-primed mental simulation. In the third study, it was found that combining process-based and outcome-based mental simulations increased exercise intentions. Positive emotions mediated imagery ability and intention to exercise. The final study found that the mental simulation interventions most effective for exercise adherence were those that balanced the valence of process and outcome components in such a way that a challenging process results in a positive outcome, or a smooth process results in a negative outcome. Each of these results has practical implications for exercise interventions that will be discussed.

Connecting Social Psychology and Deep Reinforcement Learning: A Probabilistic Predictor on the Intention to Do Home-Based Physical Activity After Message Exposure

Previous research has shown that sending personalized messages consistent with the recipient's psychological profile is essential to activate the change toward a healthy lifestyle. In this paper we present an example of how artificial intelligence can support psychology in this process, illustrating the development of a probabilistic predictor in the form of a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN). The predictor regards the change in the intention to do home-based physical activity after message exposure. The data used to construct the predictor are those of a study on the effects of framing in communication to promote physical activity at home during the Covid-19 lockdown. The theoretical reference is that of psychosocial research on the effects of framing, according to which similar communicative contents formulated in different ways can be differently effective depending on the characteristics of the recipient. Study participants completed a first questionnaire aimed at measuring the psychosocial dimensions involved in doing physical activity at home. Next, they read recommendation messages formulated with one of four different frames (gain, non-loss, non-gain, and loss). Finally, they completed a second questionnaire measuring their perception of the messages and again the intention to exercise at home. The collected data were analyzed to elicit a DBN, i.e., a probabilistic structure representing the interrelationships between all the dimensions considered in the study. The adopted procedure was aimed to achieve a good balance between explainability and predictivity. The elicited DBN was found to be consistent with the psychosocial theories assumed as reference and able to predict the effectiveness of the different messages starting from the relevant psychosocial dimensions of the recipients. In the next steps of our project, the DBN will form the basis for the training of a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) system for the synthesis of automatic interaction strategies. In turn, the DRL system will train a Deep Neural Network (DNN) that will guide the online interaction process. The discussion focuses on the advantages of the proposed procedure in terms of interpretability and effectiveness.

The Relationship Between Menstruation Cycle and Exercise Participation in Korean Female College Students

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine how Korea female university students participate in physiological and psychological exercises according to differences in their menstrual cycles and health consciousness, exercise participation, and exercise intention. This study analyzed how these female students feel about their own health, participating in exercises, and the duration of the exercise according to the different menstrual cycles and their various patterns. Methods: The study surveyed women university students in Gangwon-do, Busan, and Ulsan metro city in Korea. A total of 464 questionnaires were analyzed using the statistical programs SPSS Win 22 and AMOS Win 22. We used cross-analysis, T-tests, one-way ANOVA analysis, and correlation analysis to analyze differences in health consciousness, intensity of exercise, and degree of intent to exercise in terms of the menstrual cycle and exercise pattern during the cycle. Results: First, there were no significant differences between menstrual pattern (regular vs. irregular) and general exercise periods during the non-menstrual period (X2 = 5.828, p < 0.212). However, the study showed that more female university students who had regular menstrual cycle were back to regular exercise right after their menstruation cycle ended, and the girls with irregular menstrual cycles did not exercise as much right after their menstruation cycle ended. Second, there were significant differences in the relationship between health consciousness (p = 0.000), amount of exercise (p = 0.002), and grade of intention to exercise (p = 0.002) according to the differences in menstrual cycles and pattern of Korean female university students. Female university students with a regular menstrual cycle showed higher health consciousness, amount of exercise, and intent to exercise than did ones with irregular menstrual cycles. Third, there was a significant difference in the relationship between health consciousness (p = 0.000), amount of exercise (p = 0.000), and intent to exercise (p = 0.000) in accordance with exercise period (did not exercise, before menstruation, after menstruation, and when not menstruating, always) of Korean female university students. In other words, female university students who exercised were higher than female university students who did not exercise.Conclusions: In this study, Korean female university students who had regular menstrual cycles exercised regularly and showed a high level of their own health consciousness, amount of exercise, and intention to exercise. Also, female university students who exercise regularly have a higher level of health consciousness, amount of exercise, and intention to exercise. This study will be valuable as a pilot study related to physiological, psychological factors, and exercise of women.

PERCEIVED AUTONOMY, MOTIVATION CLIMATE AND INTENTION FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF STUDENTS BASED ON THEIR GENDER AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

The main aim of the present study was to examine whether perceived autonomy during physical education (PE) classes, the perceived motivation, and students' intentions for physical activity outside of school differ based on their educational level and gender. The sample consisted of 551 children (266 boys and 285 girls), of which 320 were attending primary school and 231 were attending high school. Four instruments were used for collecting data: (a) a demographics questionnaire; (b) the Perceived Autonomy Support in Physical Education scale (P.A.S. in PE) for assessing students’ motivation; c) the Learning and Performance Orientations in Physical Education Classes Questionnaire (LAPOPECQ) for assessing the perceived motivational climate within the PE class, and (d) a questionnaire based on the Theory of Reasoned Action which assessed the participants' intentions for physical activity outside of school. The results showed that as children grow up and change educational levels, the perceived motivational climate with an emphasis on tasks, the sense of autonomy in PE, and the intention to exercise are on the decline. In addition, it appeared that girls exhibited less intention to exercise compared to boys, especially in the highest level of education, and were more likely to perceive the motivational climate in the PE lesson as task-oriented rather than ego-oriented. To sum up, the gender and educational level of students are considered two key factors for both motivation and a sense of autonomy in PE, as well as for their intention to exercise outside of school.

Legal Regulation of the Activities of the Bodies of the National Police of Ukraine on Ensuring the Exercise of the Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly

Under the conditions set out in Part 2 of Art. 19 of the Constitution of Ukraine of the legal order in Ukraine, according to which state bodies to which the National Police of Ukraine belongs, their officials are obliged to act only on the basis, within the powers and in the manner provided by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, is usually an important issue regulatory and legal regulation of the activities of the bodies of the National Police of Ukraine on ensuring the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The article examines the legal acts, namely the Law of Ukraine “On the National Police”, the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, as well as the departmental regulatory acts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Head of the National Police of Ukraine regarding the right to exercise the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. However, the norms of these acts are too general to organize and ensure the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly by the National Police of Ukraine. The author believes that the adoption of a separate law on peaceful assembly should be amended accordingly to the Law of Ukraine “On Citizens’ Appeals”, which regulates the authority of the National Police of Ukraine to respond to a message about the intention to exercise the right to peaceful assembly. In addition, the proposed amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the National Police” will fill in the gaps in the legal regulation of the powers of the National Police of Ukraine to enforce the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Buy-In for Back Pain: Does Individualization Matter?

ABSTRACT Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of individualization of an exercise program on the buy-in received from chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Methods: Participants were randomized to 8 weeks of an individualized (IEP) or general exercise program (GEP). All participants were required to attend one 1:1 session per week with an exercise physiologist and 4 home-based sessions. Clinical outcomes were assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and visual analog pain scale (VAS) measured before and after the 8-week intervention along with barrier self-efficacy and adherence. Additionally, multidimensional outcome expectations, exercise self-efficacy, and intention to exercise were measured before the intervention, after the first session, and after 8 weeks. Measures were taken after the first session to observe if clinical assessment and informing the patient that the program was individualized manipulated beliefs differently compared to providing a GEP. Beliefs about the program after the first session were elevated in both groups. Results: Adherence to the supervised and home-based sessions was high and similar between groups. Clinical outcome measures were similar with both groups showing significant reduction from baseline in the ODI (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Thus, it appears an individualized program is no more beneficial than a GEP for CLBP. Clinically, it appears a GEP is an intelligent choice for practitioners as it negates the need for clinical assessments, which appear to add no benefit to outcomes or adherence.