Subject Area
Psychology, Clinical
Abstract
This early-phase intervention development project tested the effect of autonomy-supportive instructional cues during a single yoga session on affective response, perceived autonomy, and perceived competence. Using a between-subjects experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to either an autonomy-supportive intervention condition or a mindfulness-based control condition. During the 30-minute online pre-recorded yoga sessions, affective response was measured immediately before the yoga session, at peak, pre-savasana, and post-savasana. Perceived autonomy and perceived competence were measured immediately after. Multilevel models tested the effects of the autonomy-supportive intervention on primary outcomes (affective response, perceived autonomy, and perceived competence) and secondary outcomes (yoga practice intentions and self-reported yoga behavior, considering the potential moderation by yoga experience. The intervention increased perceived autonomy but did not lead to more positive affective response or higher perceived competence. Unexpectedly, the control group reported higher intentions to practice yoga, but this did not translate into increased practice. Further research is needed to identify the types of yoga instructions that can decrease barriers and increase engagement in yoga practice.
Degree Date
Summer 8-6-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Austin Baldwin
Number of Pages
59
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Geary, Bree, "Testing the Effect of Autonomy-Supportive Instructions During Yoga on Autonomy, Competence, and Affective Response" (2024). Psychology Theses and Dissertations. 51.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_psychology_etds/51
