ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the theories and models of exercise behavior by presenting the other frameworks that appear most prominently in the exercise psychology literature. It looks at reinforcement and other principles of stimulus-response theory as an alternative to the social cognitive approach for explaining exercise behavior. Both positive and negative reinforcement will have their greatest effects when people are able to see the relationship between their behavior and the reinforcing outcome. According to the principle of extinction, people will decrease their exercise behavior if they stop attaining the reinforcers that they previously received from exercise. Integrative approaches pull together concepts from a variety of theories and models in order to explain exercise behavior. These approaches include the transtheoretical model (TTM) and social ecological models. The TTM describes five stages of behavior change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Social ecological models build on the seminal work of Urie Bronfenbrenner, who developed an ecological theory to explain human development.