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Automaticity mediates the association between action planning and physical activity, especially when autonomous
Silvio Maltagliati1, Philippe Sarrazin1, Sandrine Isoard-Gautheur1
1Univ. Grenoble Alpes, SENS, Grenoble, France.
Psychology & Health
|March 14, 2023
Summary
Action planning enhances physical activity (PA) by fostering automaticity. High autonomous motivation strengthens this link, promoting sustained engagement in physical activity.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Health Psychology
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Action planning is recognized to promote physical activity (PA).
- The underlying psychological mechanisms and moderating factors influencing this relationship are not well understood.
- Gaps exist in understanding how automaticity and motivation influence action planning for PA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mediating role of automaticity in the association between action planning and PA.
- To examine whether autonomous motivation moderates the relationship between action planning and automaticity.
- To elucidate the psychological pathways linking intention to behavior in the context of physical activity.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 124 adults participated in the study.
- Physical activity was objectively measured using accelerometry over seven days.
- Self-report questionnaires assessed action planning, automaticity, and autonomous motivation.
Main Results:
- Automaticity significantly mediated the link between action planning and PA (total effect, β = .29).
- Action planning was positively associated with automaticity (a path, β = .47), which in turn predicted PA (b path, β = .33).
- Autonomous motivation moderated the action planning-automaticity pathway, with a stronger association observed at high levels of motivation.
Conclusions:
- Action planning facilitates automatic behavioral regulation, contributing to increased physical activity.
- Autonomous motivation plays a crucial role in reinforcing the automaticity mechanism for physical activity.
- These findings underscore the importance of both planning and intrinsic motivation for promoting sustained physical activity.
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