Print ThisBuddy Up! Harnessing Group Dynamics to Boost Motivation to Exercise
Research has found that people will work harder with a partner in a taxing physical task than when working alone, especially if the partner is moderately better at the task. This study provides a virtual partner in exercises that participants do on the Eye Toy: Kinetic camera-based video game. College-aged study participants are randomly assigned to do Eyetoy: Kinetic exercises either with a virtual partner or alone, and characteristics of the partner are varied to see which are most effective at improving endurance and exercise time, for which types of participants.
Joe C. Eisenmann, Ph.D.
Brandon Irwin, M.S.
News
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Project |
Publication | Title | Date |
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Michigan State University
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Buddy Up! Harnessing Group Dynamics to Boost Motivation to Exercise | MSU News |
MSU Researchers Study Motivational Impact of Virtual Workout Partners  |
11/16/2009 |
Publications
Feltz, D.L., Kerr, N.L., & Irwin, B.C. (2011). Buddy up: The Köhler effect applied to health video games. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 33 (4), 506-526.
Irwin, B.C., Feltz, D.L., Kerr, N.L., & Hwang, S. (2010). Cyber buddies: Testing the Köhler motivation gain effect using virtual partners. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 32S, 29.
Presentations
Irwin, B.C., Feltz, D.L., Kerr, N.L., & Hwang, S. (2010). Match Making: An examination of discrepancy in ability as a moderator of motivation gains in partnered exercise games. Poster presentation at the bi-annual Meaningful Play Conference, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Kerr, N.L., Feltz, D.L., & Irwin, B.C. (2010). Explicit icentives and the Köhler motivation gain in exercise groups. Presented at annual meeting of Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research, Washington, D.C.