Background and aims: In nomothetic research exercise addiction is studied on the basis of symptoms which are most often linked to exercise volume. However, other factors may also affect individuals' susceptibility to the disorder. The aim of this research was to examine the influence of gender, social context (team or individual sport), and level of athletic training on symptoms of exercise addiction. Methods: Two groups of university athletes – sport- (n = 57) and non-sport orientation (n = 90) – and a group of elite ultra-marathon runners (n = 95) completed the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI). The psychometric properties of the Spanish EAI were determined. Results: EAI scores were higher in men than women (p = .018). Participants in team sports reported higher EAI scores than individual athletes (p = .005). Elite runners scored higher on the EAI than university athletes (p = .005), but their scores were unrelated to the volume of training. The prevalence of “at risk” for exercise addiction was 7%–10% in university athletes and 17% among the ultra-marathon runners. The Spanish EAI showed good psychometric properties. Discussion: The results of the current inquiry show that several factors – including gender, level of athletic training, and social context of the training – affect exercise addiction and, in line with the literature, the volume of exercise did not emerge as an index of susceptibility to exercise addiction.

Recording cognitions in real-time while running has been identified as one of the major limitations in the field of sport psychology. In this study, a new methodology was developed to overcome this limitation. For this purpose, 17 competitive long distance runners participated voluntarily. The experimental session consisted in identifying and storing cognitions (thoughts, emotions, sensations and mental images) while performing a 30 minutes treadmill run. In addition, participants were asked to register which of these cognitions were perceived as unpleasant. The mapping task showed a total of 1154 cognitions recorded, mostly thoughts. In general, during the session, cognitions perceived as unpleasant represented 13.43% of the total recorded. These cognitions were mainly directed to physical sensations that resulted from stimulations derived from the physical effort of running. Consequently, it is possible to claim an interaction relationship between sensations and exercise workload. The results attempt to demonstrate that the study of cognitions in real-time is deemed suitable during running.Keywords: Cognitions; Long Distance Running; Technology; Perceived Exertion; Exercise Workload IntroductionLong distance running is one of the most natural ways to experience psycho-physiological fatigue, (Nowak, 2010). As an endurance exercise, it represents an important mental and physical challenge to all athletes who wish to excel (De la Vega, . It has been suggested that cognitions play an important role in running performance, especially in moments of intense fatigue (Buman, Omli, Giacobbi, & Brewer, 2008;LaCaille, Masters, & Heath, 2004). To understand the influence of cognitions in long distance running, several studies have been carried out. Of the various approaches (i.e. cognitive strategies, self talk, attentional focus) in the present study, we focus on the cognition's classification. Schomer's (1986), results had shown ten categories: feelings and emotions, body monitoring, command and instruction, pace monitoring, environmental feedback, reflective activity thought, personal problem solving, work and career management, course information and talk and conversational chatter. In this regard, Nietfeld (2003) had classified the athlete's cognitions while running into the following categories: externally-focused thoughts (not directly related to the task), planning (related to pre-race preparations), information management strategy (thoughts that reflect strategies that runners use during the competition), monitoring (thoughts runners have about their energy level, pain tolerance or form), debugging (thoughts that reflect changes in strategies or adjustments during the race), evaluation (thoughts that reflect back on a race). Through a multiple-factor structure Goode and Roth (1993) concluded that cognitions are conceptualized in five specific thought-related categories: monitoring of body responses, daily events, interpersonal or social relationships, related to external surroundings, and thoughts of a religious ...

Virtual Reality (VR) offers an alternative to complement physical or neurological rehabilitation based on the efficacy of Gamification as a technique to get compromised, enjoy, and turn treatment periods less annoying through an immersive task. This work presents the design of a VR environment and takes into a count three levels of presence: self-presence, physical, and social. Thirteen healthy participants performed a traditional balance session with a wobble board through a parachute game. The direction of the fall is controlled with the inclination of a wobble board platform instrumented with a Gyroscope, electrocardiography (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), and respiratory rate (RESP) signals are simultaneously recorded. These psychophysiological responses of the Autonomous Nervous System (SNA) are contrasted with a standardized emotional self-report questionnaire to gather information about the experience and was filled out by the participant with the eye selection of the Oculus Rift device. The integrated Unity-Matlab system stored and processed some of the extraction data of 15 characteristics associated with the biosignals and three emotional levels, In addition to proposing a severe game as a solution to problems of conventional methodology such as low attention, monotonous and predictable sessions, combining computerized simulation and innovative technologies for more pleasant recovery therapy.

As a high risk, physically demanding, and stressful profession, firefighting presents an ideal context for the study of hardiness. Hardiness of professional Spanish firefighters was assessed. Participants (53 firefighters; M age = 36.1 yr., SD = 8.2) volunteered to complete the adapted Spanish version of the Personal Views Survey. Results showed that participants' mean Hardiness score was slightly high. Hardiness was influenced by years of service. Spanish firefighters present a homogenous set of personal characteristics related to managing stressful working circumstances. The effect of experience on Hardiness levels is discussed.

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