Competition of internal and external information in an exercise setting.
Abstract
During physical exercise, individuals have access to internal sensory and external environmental cues that compete for attentional focus. Two experiments examined when attention to external cues attenuates the perception of physical symptoms and fatigue. In Experiment 1, subjects' physical performance was held constant during exercise on a treadmill. Subjects hearing distracting sounds reported less fatigue and fewer symptoms than subjects hearing an amplification of their own breathing. In Experiment 2, subjects jogging equal length cross-country and lap courses evinced faster times on the former, where increased external attention was necessary. Self-reports of symptoms and fatigue, however, were comparable on the two courses. The results are interpreted in terms of attentional focus shifting from one information source to another as needed, with attention to any one source diminishing attention to others.
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Externally oriented attention during exercise can reduce perceived fatigue and improve performance.
“Pennebaker and Lightner (1980) did not measure heart rate directly, however, their findings suggest that externally oriented attention during exercise can reduce perceived fatigue and improve performance.”
From Warming Up Body and Mind: Combined Cognitive and Exercise Priming Improves 1‐Mile Time Trial Performance in Recreational Runners (2026) · cites this paper as Pennebaker and Lightner (1980)
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- Authors
- Pennebaker, J. W., & Lightner, J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Virginia (US)
- ORCID
- Pennebaker, James W.
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1980
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 165-174
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2116519983
- Cited by
- 357
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 3.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Keywords
- attentional focus, physical activity, fatigue perception, somatic symptoms, distraction, auditory cues, self-report, attentional shift, treadmill exercise, cross country running
- MeSH terms
- Awareness, Physical Exertion, Fatigue, Humans, Male, Noise, Respiration
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