title: Aerobic exercise is promoted when individual performance affects the group: a test of the Kohler motivation gain effect.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A key barrier to achieving recommended intensity and duration of physical activity is motivation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether a virtually present partner would influence participants' motivation (duration) during aerobic exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight females (M(age) = 20.54 ± 1.86) were randomly assigned to either a coactive condition (exercising alongside another person, independently), a conjunctive condition (performance determined by whichever partner stops exercising first) where they exercised with a superior partner, or to an individual condition. Participants exercised on a stationary bike at 65 % of heart rate reserve on six separate days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Across sessions, conjunctive condition participants exercised significantly longer (M = 21.89 min, SD = ±10.08 min) than those in coactive (M = 19.77 min, SD = ± 9.00 min) and individual (M = 10.6 min, SD = ±5.84 min) conditions (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exercising with a virtually present partner can improve performance on an aerobic exercise task across multiple sessions.
authors.affiliation: Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, USA. irwinbra@msu.edu
authors.forename: Brandon C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scorniaenchi
authors.forename: Norbert L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Joey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Eisenmann
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Feltz
mesh_terms: D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult