3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture Upper Division
This course is designed to examine psychological issues and theories related to exercise, the promotion of regular physical activity and active lifestyles. Emphasis is placed on the factors related to physical activity, health behavior theories, and the psychological and emotional consequences of exercise and physical activity. Key methodological considerations in behavioral health research will also be highlighted.
Learning Outcomes1Discuss the feasibility, utility, and challenges of using theories in exercise psychology.
2Compare and contrast several prominent health behavior theories, especially those with relevance to encouraging physical activity behaviors.
3Identify research methodology criteria for evaluating the quality of exercise psychology and behavioral medicine studies, and appraise the quality of the research literature based on these criteria.
4Acquire knowledge of the research literature and be able to have an informed and critical discussion of current perspectives and challenges in exercise psychology.
5Design and develop their own questionnaire to assess health behaviors and psychological constructs for a given population.
6Understand how psychological principles and theories are applied in exercise and physical activity contexts.
7Develop graduate-level writing and oral presentation skills through course assignments.
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.