The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music preference and exercise intensity on exercise enjoyment, perceived exertion (RPE), and attentional focus. Participants were assigned to 1 of 3 music preference conditions (most preferred, least preferred, or no music) and walked/ran on a treadmill at 1 of 3 exercise intensities (low, moderate, or high) for 20 minutes. Measures of exercise enjoyment, RPE, and attentional focus (association, dissociation, distress) were taken. A 3 x 3 ANOVA on enjoyment revealed that when participants paid attention to the music, music accounted for roughly 5% of the variance in exercise enjoyment (p = .04). Results of a 3 (music) x 3 (intensity) repeated measures ANOVA on RPE showed a main effect of intensity (p < .001) but no main effect for music and no interaction effect. A 3 x 3 ANOVA on attentional focus revealed that those in the high intensity condition reported the greatest association (p < .001) and distress (p < .001). Although not significant, on average, participants in the most preferred music condition reported the highest levels of dissociation.

Participating in regular physical activity results in many positive physical and psychological effects. Even though this is widely known, the majority of Americans do not engage in regular physical activity and many persons who start an exercise program drop out shortly thereafter. A question of central importance is "What motivates a person to adhere to an exercise program?" A collection of quantitative and qualitative studies has shown enjoyment of exercise to be an important factor in determining adherence to exercise. Despite these findings, very little research has been conducted on factors contributing to exercise enjoyment. The purpose of this study was to examine variables believed to make such a contribution. Variables were selected based upon results of past research and theory. These were: satisfaction with the music used in the exercise environment, satisfaction with the exercise instructor, and salience of exercise role-identity (EIS). Subjects for this study were 282 female volunteers from not-for-credit aerobic dance classes at 2 university activity centers. Results revealed significant positive correlations between all 3 variables and exercise enjoyment, ranging from .34 to .45. Stepwise regression indicated that satisfaction with music (21%) accounted for the most variance in exercise enjoyment followed by satisfaction with the instructor (8%), and finally salience of exercise role identity (4%). Follow-up analyses to examine specific components of satisfaction with music and the exercise instructor were also conducted.

The purpose of these studies was to examine the psychometric properties of the Exercise Motivation Scale (EMS). One hundred forty-three undergraduates were surveyed in Study 1. Internal consistency reliability estimates ranged from .75 to .90 for the eight subscales. Discriminant validity was established via non-significant correlations with social desirability bias. The factor structure was confirmed by examining the intercorrelations of the EMS subscales which revealed a tenable simplex pattern. Differences on EMS subscales for participants at different Stages of Change supported group differentiation validity. Study 2 employed 58 undergraduates. Criterion validity was established by relationships between EMS subscales and distance walked during a self-selected intensity bout of exercise. A strong correlation between Exercise Identity Scale scores and integrated subscale scores supported the convergent validity of the integrated subscale. Overall the EMS yielded reliable scores and provided a valid means of making inferences about exercise behavior. Last, new findings about the relationship between the Self-Determination Theory and the Stages of Change Model are described which have significant applied implications.

Two studies supported the efficacy of a structured method for providing students with feedback on exams and means of using the teaching potential of exams, collectively referred to as formative summative assessment (FSA). In the first study, students responded positively to the method. In the second study, students enrolled in 2 sections of educational psychology taught by the same instructor received either the FSA method or their exams to look over in class. Students retook the exam 1 week later. The FSA method resulted in an improvement of comprehension of 10%, significantly more than the control group, whose scores improved by only 2%. I also present other benefits of this method and suggestions for variations of the method as well as future research ideas.

The primary purposes of this study were to compare future time perspective and subtypes of regulation from self‐determination theory as explanatory variables of exercise behavior and to examine potential differences in future time perspective across stages of change. Participants consisted of 317 undergraduates. The two most prominent measures of future time perspective were employed to allow for a comparison. Results revealed numerous significant correlations among future time perspective, self‐regulation subtypes, and exercise behavior. Intrinsic and integrated subtypes of regulation explained the most variance in exercise behavior. Participants in higher stages of change had significantly higher future time perspective scores, lower amotivation scores, and higher scores for internal forms of regulation. Applied implications and suggestions for future research are presented.