Not What, but How One Feels: The Measurement of Affect during Exercise

Abstract

Three experiments are presented that evaluate the feeling scale (FS) as a measure of affect during exercise. In Experiment 1,.subjects were instructed to check adjectives on the MAACL-R that they would associate with either a "good" or a "bad" feeling during exercise. As predicted, discriminant function analysis indicated that the good/bad dimension of the FS appears to represent a core of emotional expression. In Experiment 2, subjects rated how they felt during exercise at a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 11, 15, and 19. There was considerable heterogeneity in FS for each given RPE. Moreover, RPEs and FS ratings were only moderately correlated, r= - .56, suggesting that phenomenologically the two constructs are not isomorphic. Experiment 3 involved three 4-min bouts of exercise at 30, 60, and 90% V02max. Assessed were pre- and post-exercise affect as. .well as RPEs, responses to the FS, Ve, RR, and VO2. Results revealed that RPE and the FS were moderately related, but only at easy and hard workloads. FS ratings evidenced greater variability as metabolic demands increased, and RPEs consistently had stronger ties to physiologic cues than responses to the FS. The theoretical and pragmatic implications of these data are discussed.

Exercise does not feel the same when you are overweight: the impact of self-selected and imposed intensity on affect and exertion

“…43 The affective dimension of pleasure-displeasure during exercise was assessed with the Feeling Scale (FS). 44 The FS is an 11-point, single-item, bipolar rating scale commonly used for the assessment of affective responses during exercise. The scale ranges from À5 to þ 5.…”

“…Anchors are provided at zero ('Neutral') and at all odd integers, ranging from 'Very Good' ( þ 5) to 'Very Bad' (À5). Hardy and Rejeski 44 have provided evidence of significant correlations between the FS and other self-report measures of pleasure.…”

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“…The circumplex model of affect (Russell 1980), proposes that all affective states arise from two dimensions; one related to valence (a pleasure -displeasure continuum), assessed by the Feeling Scale (FS; Hardy and Rejeski 1989) and the other related to arousal, assessed by the Felt Arousal Scale (FAS; Svebak and Murgatroyd 1985). Temporary smoking abstinence leads to a decrease in arousal and an increase in emotional stress, which both return to a normal level after smoking a cigarette (Steptoe and Ussher 2006).…”

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