Abstract
Individuals hold a belief that engaging in a behavior, such as exercise, will result in desired outcomes. Indeed, social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) posits that a potential contributor to the adoption and maintenance of exercise is outcome expectations (Resnick & Spellbering, 2000). Research has found that outcomes can contribute to behavioral intention (Rodgers & Brawley, 1996) and predicting commitment to exercise intentions (Cramp & Brawley, 2009). The purpose of the current study was to examine the differences in outcome expectations endorsed by high and low exercisers. Male and female undergraduate students (N= 278) completed the Outcome Expectations Questionnaire (Rodgers et al., 2012 in preparation) and the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ; Godin & Shepard, 1985). Using moderate and strenuous activity scores, as recommended by Godin (2011), a tertile split was completed to divide high (n=91, M=74) and low exercisers (n=87, M=18). Results of the ANOVA indicate that there are differences between the two groups in outcome expectations around the themes of physical expectations (i.e., “I will lose weight”), affect (i.e., “I will have a more positive frame of mind”) and convenience (i.e., “I will have less time for other things”). Results indicate that outcome expectations differ based on level of engagement and experience with exercise behavior. This may help to further understand the varying processes involved in sustaining exercise behavior.
