The effect of experiential anchoring on the reproducibility of exercise regulation in adolescent children

Abstract

In this study, we examined whether a preparatory perceptual ‘anchoring’ technique would enhance the reproducibility (test–retest reliability) of adolescent children in their ability to self-regulate their exercise output on the basis of their effort perceptions. Forty-one adolescents aged 12.6±0.7 years (mean±s), randomly assigned to either an anchor or non-anchor group, undertook two identical production trials (three 3-min cycle ergometer bouts at levels 3, 6 and 8 of the Children's Effort Rating Table) over 8 days. Before each trial, the anchor group received an experiential (exercise) trial intended to provide a frame of reference for their perceived exertions. The test–retest reproducibility of the heart rates and power outputs produced during the production trials was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients and 95% limits of agreement analysis. For the anchor group, the intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.68 to 0.81 for heart rate and from 0.39 to 0.86 for power output. For the non-anchor group, they were generally higher: 0.86 to 0.93 and 0.81 to 0.95 for heart rate and power output, respectively. The 95% limits of agreement indicated no marked differences between the two groups in the amount of bias and within-subject error. The results suggest that among these adolescents, the implementation of an experiential anchoring protocol had no positive effect on the reproducibility of their exercise regulation during prescribed cycling.

Keywords:

• anchoring
• children
• perceived exertion
• production
• reproducibility