Predicting implicit and explicit exercise identity from descriptive social norms regarding exercise

Abstract

Objectives

Exercise identity may promote exercise maintenance. However, less is known about factors that affect exercise identity. Whether descriptive social norms are potential intervention targets for identity development was evaluated.

Design

A cross-sectional design using data from the Attitudes, Identities, and Individual Differences (AIID) study was employed – with additional cases collected to increase sample size and power – to evaluate whether descriptive social norms regarding exercise are related to implicit and explicit exercise identities.

Main Outcome Measures

Participants completed measures of proximal and distal descriptive social norms regarding exercise, explicit and implicit exercise identity, physical activity behavior, and demographics. Multiple regression was used to assess whether social norms regarding exercise predict exercise identities.

Results

Only proximal descriptive social norms were significantly associated with explicit exercise identity, whereas neither proximal nor distal descriptive social norms were associated with implicit exercise identity. The slopes for explicit and implicit identity differed when predicted by distal (but not proximal) descriptive social norms.

Conclusions

Proximal descriptive social norms may be associated with explicit exercise identity and may be a worthy intervention targeting alongside identity to influence change in exercise behavior. More research is needed to further understand these relationships.

Keywords:

• social norms
• descriptive norms
• identity
• exercise
• exercise identity

Acknowledgements

A special thank you to the AIID research team: Ian Hussey, Sean Hughes, Calvin K. Lai, Charles R. Ebersole, Jordan Axt, & Brian A. Nosek.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Preregistration

More, K. R., Phillips, L. A., & Pluta, K. (2020, November 23). Predicting Implicit and Explicit Exercise Identity from Descriptive Social Norms. Retrieved from osf.io/bpvnm

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Data availability statement

The original data that support the findings of this study (i.e. MTurk sample, but not the AIID sample) are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.