Cyber Buddy Is Better than No Buddy: A Test of the Köhler Motivation Effect in Exergames

Abstract

These results suggest that a software-generated partner can elicit the Kőhler motivation gain in exergames, but not as strongly as a partner who is thought to be human.

Better Together: Outcomes of Cooperation Versus Competition in Social Exergaming

“…8 Conversely, the Kohler Motivation Effect proposes that unfavorable social comparisons can in fact lead to increases in motivation. 9 Groups often contain members with diverse skills, including some stronger and some weaker members. The Kohler Motivation Effect purports that the least capable or weakest group members, when they feel their performance is indispensable to the group, are motivated to perform better in order to not disappoint their fellow group members.…”

“…For example, in exergaming studies with college students, participants were asked to hold an exercise (a plank) or ride a stationary bicycle with a partner (human or virtual). 9,10 Participants who were told their team's score would be decided by the partner who stopped exercising first and that their partner had previously performed better than they had ''rose to the occasion'' and performed significantly better than when they were alone or in a condition where there was no unfavorable social comparison. However, improvements in performance were actually diminished when the more capable partners provided verbal encouragement.…”

Does the User's Evaluation of a Socially Assistive Robot Change Based on Presence and Companionship Type?

“…These approaches seem to be a suitable addition to standard methods of rehabilitation. They provide accompanying virtual agents or mirror the actions of the user [2]. The shift of focus from workout to play in games is believed to increase people's and specially children's exercising motivation because they "capitalize on children's natural interest in computerized video interaction" [3].…”

Exercising with a humanoid companion is more effective than exercising alone

“…Research on the effects of group dynamics in social psychology shows that the least capable group member exhibits a relative motivation gain when performing a task in a group. This effect is called the Köhler effect, which has recently been investigated for virtual agents [4].…”

“…We use five different abdominal isometric exericses which have already been used in previous studies to test the Köhler effect [4]. These exercises do not require high motor skills and the study design incorporates different fitness levels of persons.…”