Chapter 12

Activities

1. To gain a better understanding of the relationship between exercise and affect, conduct a self-experiment. Over the course of two weeks, do a simple rating of energy and tension before and after a scheduled exercise session. Use a rating from 1 to 7 for each, with 1 being none or very little and 7 being a great deal or very much. On nonexercise days, rate yourself with the same scale at approximately the same times of the day that you would exercise. After the two-week period, compare the ratings from before and after the exercise sessions. What differences are apparent? What do you see when you compare the affect on exercise days with the affect experienced on nonexercise days?
2. Use the circumplex approach to examining affective responses. Using the circumplex diagram below, in which the dimensions of activation and valence are represented, complete the following tasks. Incorporate the following time points as appropriate:

• Describe two different intensities of exercise, noting how they differ in terms of intensity. Label one type as “moderate” and the other as “intense.”
• Draw the expected response to a 20-minute bout of the “moderate” exercise.
• Draw the expected response to a 20-minute bout of the “intense” exercise, incorporating the same time points.
• What are the major differences in the two drawings? Why do these differences occur?

Vocabulary

Affect - A general, valenced response to a stimulus that does not require thought processes to precede it.

Categorical approach - An approach that assumes that affective states are distinct and have unique properties and antecedents.

Circumplex model - A model that describes affective states along the perimeter of a circle defined by the dimensions of affective valence and activation.

Dimensional approach - An approach that assumes that affective states are interrelated and can be accurately captured by a small number of dimensions.

Distinct-states approach - An approach that assumes that affective states are distinct and have unique properties and antecedents.

Emotion - A state of feeling elicited following an appraisal in which an object (a person or event) is determined to impact on the well-being of the individual.

Emotional well-being - A state characterized by a greater amount of positive affect than negative affect, along with favorable thoughts, such as satisfaction with life.

Energetic arousal (EA) - A dimension of the AD ACL characterized by feelings ranging from energy, vigor, and liveliness to fatigue and tiredness.

Exercise dependence syndrome - A craving for leisure-time physical activity, resulting in uncontrollable excessive exercise behavior that manifests in physiological and/or psychological symptoms.

Iceberg profile - Psychological profile of elite athletes based on various mood states.

Lactate threshold - The point at which lactate concentration in the blood exceeds the rate at which lactate is removed from the blood, resulting in excess lactate and a shift toward anaerobic metabolism.

Mood - A subjective state of feeling that has a cognitive basis and that can enhance or interfere with purposive behavior.

Overtraining - Training at a level greater than an individual is accustomed to in terms of frequency, intensity, and duration.

Primary exercise dependence - A psychological condition in which an individual perceives exercise as an end in itself.

Secondary exercise dependence - A psychological condition in which an individual uses exercise exclusively to control body composition.

Staleness syndrome - An aspect of overtraining characterized by increased negative mental health.

Tense arousal (TA) - A dimension of the AD ACL characterized by feelings ranging from subjective tension to placidity, quietness, and stillness.

Ventilatory threshold (VT) - The point at which the ventilator equivalent for oxygen continues to increase without a concomitant increase in the ventilator equivalent for carbon dioxide.

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