Attention focus emerges spontaneously during progressive and maximal exercise

Abstract

The objective of this study was to test a nonlinear model of attention focus imposing and non-imposing a dissociative thought during a progressive and maximum cycling exercise. Twelve students previously familiarized with the experimental procedures performed twice a progressive and maximum cycle ergometer test under two different conditions: first, and oriented to establish its intrinsic dynamics, without imposing any type of thought, and second, imposing a dissociative thought (PD). During the test the participants informed each 30s on their type of thought (PD or PA – associative thought) through previously agreed signals. The individual series were divided into 10 temporary intervals of increasing intensity and the percentage of PD and PA in each one of them was calculated. The median percentage of PA was significantly higher from the 6th interval of intensity onwards in the non-imposed PD test (PDNI) (χ2 (12, 9) = 39.75; p < .001) and from the 8th interval onwards in the imposed PD test (PDI) (χ2 (12, 9) = 70.65; p < .001). The percentage of PD was higher in the PDI test in 6 of the 10 intervals of intensity (p < .05). The results demonstrate the spontaneous emergence of PA during a progressive and maximum cycling exercise confirming the nonlinear model of attention focus.