Attentional bias for exercise-related images

Res Q Exerc Sport. 2011 Jun;82(2):302-9. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2011.10599758.

Abstract

This research examined attentional bias toward exercise-related images using a visual probe task. It was hypothesized that more-active participants would display attentional bias toward the exercise-related images. The results showed that men displayed attentional bias for the exercise images. There was a significant interaction of activity level by gender, and simple slopes analysis showed that active women displayed attentional bias toward the exercise-related images and inactive women displayed attentional bias toward the control images. A similar analysis with explicit attention to the pictures as the outcome variable was not significant. These findings confirm that attention for exercise-related images can be captured automatically regardless of whether people report they are attending to them.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attention*
  • Cues
  • Exercise / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motor Activity
  • Photic Stimulation / methods*
  • Prejudice
  • Reaction Time
  • Sex Factors
  • Young Adult