Exercise
Conditions
Brief summary
The current study aims to investigate two potential interventions (i.e., cognitive dissonance and action planning) for inducing behavior change for behaviors important to college students-studying and exercise. In addition, this study will investigate factors that may impact behavior change, such as psychological and neuropsychological variables, to better understand how to bridge the intention-behavior gap.
Interventions
OTHERCognitive Dissonance
After reading the materials about their chosen behavior, participants will be asked write an essay about their behavior of choice (studying/exercising). For this essay they will be asked to imagine that they have reached their ideal level of academic achievement/fitness, describe what this would look and feel like, and reflect on how this would impact how they view themselves, their relationships, and their day to day life.
OTHERAction Planning
After reading the materials about their chosen behavior, participants will be asked to make a detailed plan for the following two weeks based on the following items taken from a study by Sniehotta and colleagues (2004): 1) when to complete studying/exercise, 2) where to complete studying/exercise, 3) how to complete studying/exercise (e.g., what types of exercise- cardio, class, etc. or what types of studying activities- reading, taking notes, creating outlines, etc.), and 4) how often to complete studying/exercise. Participants will be given a calendar as an aid to planning their behavior.
OTHERReflection (Control Condition)
After reading the materials about their chosen behavior, participants will be asked to summarize and reflect on what they read.
Sponsors
Boston University Charles River Campus
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Boston University Psychology 101 students at least 18 years of age * Able to provide informed consent for the study * Sufficient command of the English language * Have experience using a computer and mouse
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| International Physical Activity Questionnaire | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Participants who choose to change their exercising behavior will be administer only this outcome measure; therefore, all participants only complete 1 primary outcome measure. |
| Studying Questionnaire | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Participants who choose to change their studying behavior will be administered only this outcome measure; therefore, all participants only complete 1 primary outcome measure. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Self-report measure of worry. |
| Self-Control Scale (SCS) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Perceived self-control measure. |
| Delay Discounting Questionnaire | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Monetary choice task. |
| Distress Intolerance Index | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Measure of distress intolerance. |
| Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Self-report measure of depressive symptoms. |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Self-report measure of anxiety symptoms experienced in past week. |
| Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Self-report measure of perceived self-efficacy. |
| Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Self-report measure of sleep quality for the past month. |
| UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | Self-report measure of impulsivity. |
Outcome results
None listed