Examination of the Relationship Between Self‐Efficacy and Affect at Varying Levels of Aerobic Exercise Intensity

Although proposed as an explanation for increases in positive and decreases in negative affect, little evidence supports the notion of a stronger efficacy‐affect relationship as acute aerobic exercise intensity increases. Relationships between self‐efficacy (SE), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) were examined with respect to 3 randomly assigned conditions: (a) no exercise (control), (b) cycling at 55% VO_2max, and (c) cycling at 70% VO_2max. Twenty subjects (age = 22.6 years; M VO_2max= 47.8 ml · kg⁻¹· min⁻¹) participated in each. Preexercise SE predicted in‐task NA and postexercise PA in the 55% condition and postexercise PA in the 70% condition (ps < .05). Although SE significantly increased from pre‐ to postexercise, in‐task affect failed to predict these increases in SE. These data suggest that in a fit college‐aged population, a stronger reciprocal relationship between preexercise SE, in‐task affect, and postexercise SE does not exist with increasing levels of exercise intensity. Contrary to self‐efficacy theory, no evidence was found for a reciprocal relationship. However, the relationship between efficacy and affect was such that when collapsed across conditions and time, subjects with higher SE scores reported lower NA (p < .05).