Abstract
Modeling is recognized as an effective teaching and performance enhancement strategy in sport and motor skill learning settings. Recently Ste-Marie et al. (2012) proposed the Applied Model for the Use of Observation (AMUO) to guide research and application within sport and rehabilitation. Exercise is another movement environment where individuals may engage in observation for a variety of reasons; however, it is often overlooked within modeling research. The purpose of this study was to explore female exercisers' use of modeling within exercise environments. Ten female exercisers (Mage = 27.5 years, SD = 4.03) who regularly engage in both cardio and resistance training participated in semi-structured interviews. Verbatim interview transcripts were analyzed using a combination of inductive and deductive coding, with the AMUO as a framework for generating the higher order categories. Participants identified skill, emotional, and environmental factors that determined where they use modeling. They also described novel functions of modeling. Specifically, modeling was used not only for skill-based functions, but also for motivational, teaching, and social comparison/competition functions. These findings provide insight into how exercisers may opt to use observation as a strategy, what factors limit their use of modeling, and highlight areas for further research and development of the AMUO framework.
