Affective Priming Effect Of Exercise-Related Stimulus

The behavior change theory which focuses on cognitive factors is deficient in explaining the intention to behavior. Emotion in this process plays a key role. Based on reflective-impulsive model, there is an automatic association between behavior and affective experience. The affective priming paradigm is used to study the difference of affective priming effect between the inactive people and the exerciser in this research. This study tries to understand how does affect play role in the happens and insistence of exercise.The following research hypothesis are put forward. In the conditions that exercise-related words or pictures were used as priming stimulus, exerciser has the association between physical exercise activities and the positive emotional experience, positive affect is activated. inactive people has the association between physical exercise activities and the negative emotional experience, or no priming effect. Active physical exercise activities connected with the positive emotional experience to help increase physical activity behavior.in the first experiment, exercise-related words were used as primes, Korean words as the target stimulus for affective priming effect experiment. The positive response ratio on the target stimulus and the value of priming effect was tested. The results show that in the condition that exercise-related words as the priming stimulus, there was significantly difference between exerciser and inactive people in the priming effect and the positive response rate on the fuzzy target stimulus, exerciser is greater than inactive people. There are no significant differences between the exerciser who did not participate sports specific training and the exerciser who continued to participate in sports specific training. Priming effect was successfully used to predict reported amounts of exercise.In the second experiment, exercise-related pictures were used as primes, the emotional valence of words as the target stimulus for affective priming effect experiment. The reaction time on the target stimulus and the value of priming effect was tested. The results showed that in the condition that exercise-related pictures as the priming stimulus, the exerciser who continued to participate in sports specific training responds slower to positive words, and the emergence of the reverse priming effect. There are no significant differences between inactive people and exerciser in the priming effect. Inactive people respond faster to the tired, injury type words than the exerciser who continued to participate in sports specific training significantly.In the third experiment, exercise-related video was used as active material, the indice for the increase in acts of physical activity behavior. The results showed that activation of the established association between exercise activities and positive affection may contribute to the increase of physical activity behavior.Conclusion:1) Affective priming effect which exercise-related priming stimulus to exerciser was found.2) Fat igue, in.jury may prevent people from exercise as the major emotional factors.3) Active the association between physical exercise activities and the positive emotions can help increase physical activity behavior.