Look at that-the positive effect of video observation on physical stair climbing performance

To examine the effect of short-term video presentation intervention (VPI) on stair self-efficacy and on stair-climbing ability, 90 participants age 65 and above were randomly assigned to 3 groups: The first intervention group watched role models descending the same staircase used for testing, the second intervention group watched role models descending an unfamiliar staircase, and the control group watched an irrelevant control video. This study found that stair-climbing duration was shortened compared with the pretest without affecting movement fluency as supported by the social-cognitive theory. We interpret this outcome as evidence for improved self-efficacy: the intervention strengthened our participants' belief that they can successfully complete the task. This is the first study demonstrating that an enhancement of self-efficacy occurs in a short-term setting. The findings might be of practical relevance for older adults and clinical populations with stair climbing problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).