title: Intentional thought dynamics during exercise performed until volitional exhaustion.
abstract: Using a non-linear approach, intentional dynamics of thoughts were examined during constant cycling performed until volitional exhaustion. Participants (n = 12) completed two sessions at 80% Wmax. Their (1) intrinsic thought dynamics (i.e., no-imposed thoughts condition) and (2) intentional thought dynamics (i.e., imposed task-unrelated thoughts condition; TUT) were recorded and then classified into four categories: internal and external TUT (TUT-I, TUT-E) and external and internal task-related thoughts (TRT-E, TRT-I). The probability estimates for maintaining each thought category stable, the rate of switching from one category to another, and the entropy dynamics along the testing procedure were assessed and compared through time phase. Friedman ANOVA tests revealed a significant effect of effort increase on thought contents only in the imposed TUT test. While TUT-I probabilities decreased significantly (P < .001) as effort increased, TRT-I probabilities increased (P < .05). Moreover, the entropy to the entire thought dynamics increased at the outset of task performance and decreased upon approaching volitional exhaustion (P < .001). As time spent in constant effort increased, and volitional exhaustion approached, task relatedness (TUT, TRT), direction (internal, external), and entropy of thought contents changed unintentionally providing further evidence for a nonlinear dynamics of attention focus.
authors.affiliation: a INEFC University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Natàlia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Balagué
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hristovski
authors.forename: Sergi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aragonés
authors.forename: Selen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Razon
authors.forename: Gershon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tenenbaum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: attention focus; emergence; entropy; intentional dynamics; volitional exhaustion