EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-EFFICACY AND AFFECT AT VARYING LEVELS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE INTENSITY

Although proposed as an explanation for increases in positive and decr eases in negative affect, little evidence supports the notion of a str onger efficacy-affect relationship as acute aerobic exercise intensity increases. Relationships between self-efficacy (SE), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) were examined with respect to 3 randoml y assigned conditions: (a) no exercise (control), (b) cycling at 55% V O(2)max, and (c) cycling at 70% VO(2)max. Twenty subjects (age = 22.6 years; M VO(2)max = 47.8 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1)) participated in each. Preexercise SE predicted in-task NA and postexercise PA in the 55% con dition and postexercise PA in the 70% condition (ps <.05). Although SE significantly increased from pre- to postexercise, in-task affect fai led to predict these increases in SE. These data suggest that in a fit college-aged population, a stronger reciprocal relationship between p reexercise SE, in-task affect, and postexercise SE does not exist with increasing levels of exercise intensity. Contrary to self-efficacy th eory, no evidence was found for a reciprocal relationship. However, th e relationship between efficacy and affect was such that when collapse d across conditions and time, subjects with higher SE scores reported lower NA (p <.05).