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In everyday life, people often experience involuntary thoughts about their personal past and future events in response to incidental cues in the environment. Yet, despite the abundance of such cues, our consciousness is not constantly flooded by these involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) and involuntary future thoughts (IFTs). The main goal of the present study was to further investigate the possibility that cognitive inhibitory control keeps these involuntary cognitions at bay. To test this inhibition hypothesis, we conducted a large-scale study (n = 157) in which groups of participants with different levels of inhibitory control (low, medium, high) and individuals with ADHD spectrum symptoms were engaged in a laboratory vigilance task in which the frequency of IFTs and IAMs was assessed. Contrary to predictions, although participants across groups differed significantly in terms of their individual inhibitory control capacity, the number of IFTs and IAMs reported during the vigilance task was comparable. In addition, individuals with the ADHD spectrum symptoms did not report more spontaneous thoughts compared to other groups. Together, these findings lend little support for the idea that inhibition is a key mechanism that regulates the occurrence of IAMs and IFTs in everyday life. Other possible mechanisms and avenues for future research are discussed.

Background The benefits of supervised physical activity programs in cardiac rehabilitation have been amply demonstrated, but the quantity of physical activity often declines quickly once supervision ends. This trial assesses the effectiveness of an experimental intervention drawing on habit formation theory to maintain physical activity. Methods Cardiovascular patients (N = 47) were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group participated in two supervised physical activity (SPA) sessions per week for 20 weeks. The second group was offered a progressively autonomous physical activity (PAPA) program as follows: the same supervised program as the SPA group for 10 weeks and then a further 10 weeks with one supervised session replaced by a strategy to build and sustain the habit of autonomous physical activity. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ; Craig et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 35(8):1381–1395, 2003) was used to measure the quantity of physical activity, which was the primary outcome. The number of participants was limited, and we thus took multiple IPAQ measurements (at 0, 5, 7, 9 and 12 months after the start of the intervention) and used a mixed model for analysis. Physical condition, automaticity of the physical activity behavior, motivation, and quality of life were examined for changes. Results No significant between-group differences were noted for physical activity behaviors after the program, physical condition, motivation, or behavioral automaticity. The PAPA group nevertheless completed more PA sessions during the intervention, and their quality of life was significantly higher than that of the SPA group at 12 months. Conclusion Although the number of supervised sessions was lower, the progressively autonomous PA program resulted in the same or even higher positive outcomes than the fully supervised PA program. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN77313697, retrospectively registered on 20 November 2015.

Thinking creatively requires the ability to consciously augment creative insight through processes such as analogical reasoning and relational cognition. Prior work has examined augmented states of creativity using a modified verb generation task which requires brief engagement in attempts to think creatively during MRI. In this study, we employed the verb generation task to examine augmented creative states and frontopolar cortex activation in a less-constrained setting using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Participants (n = 29) were presented with a noun and were required to think of an associated verb. In 50% of the trials, participants were instructed to ‘think creatively’ (cued condition) as opposed to stating the first or most prominent verb that came to mind (uncued condition). The task was administered in French to native speakers. Hemodynamic responses were recorded over the frontopolar cortex using fNIRS. The relatedness of the noun-verb pairs was calculated and other measures of creativity (the Alternate Uses Test, Compound Remote Associate Test and the Biographical Inventory of Creative Behaviors) were recorded. We showed that in the cued condition, semantic scores were higher (indicating more creative responses), positively associated with other measures of creativity, and changes in oxygenated hemoglobin were larger and more extensive in the left frontopolar cortex, than in the uncued condition. Our findings support the use of the verb generation task (administered in French) to augment creative states and provides further validation of the use of the task to capture creativity (i.e., processes involved in generating creative responses through distant associations). We highlight the use of fNIRS to measure associated regional changes in frontopolar cortex activity during augmented states of creativity.

The aim of this study was to clarify the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in physical effort regulation. We hypothesized that the PFC would be progressively involved in physical endurance through the engagement of cognitive inhibition, which would be necessary to maintain effort by inhibiting fatigue-related cues. This hypothesis was examined using a double-blind, sham-controlled, within-subjects study (N = 20) using high-definition (HD) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Participants had to maintain a knee extensor contraction at 30% of their maximal force while simultaneously performing an Eriksen flanker task to evaluate their inhibition performance during the task. Anodal stimulation of the dlPFC influenced response to the cognitive task during exercise, as seen by slower response times and better accuracy. However, it did not lead to any measureable improvement in cognitive inhibition and did not influence endurance time. There was no correlation between cognitive inhibition and the maintenance of physical effort. This result could be explained by some methodological limitations of our protocol, and we also provide alternative explanations for the contribution of the PFC in physical endurance. Keywords: physical endurance; transcranial direct current stimulation; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; cognitive inhibition.

We aimed to determine the neurophysiological mechanisms associated with reduced endurance performance during cognitive-motor dual task at different levels of cognitive load, compared to a motor task alone. Eighteen healthy men performed isometric quadriceps contractions at 15% of maximal voluntary contraction (blocks of 170 s interspaced by neuromuscular evaluations) until exhaustion. This task was performed on three separate days: (a) in the absence of concomitant cognitive task, (b) with concomitant 1-back task, and (c) with concomitant 2-back task. Autonomic nervous system activity, perceived exertion, and cognitive performance were continuously monitored. Peripheral and central determinants of neuromuscular function were assessed at rest, between each block, and at task failure using femoral nerve stimulation. Endurance time was shorter during 2-back (982 ± 545 s) and 1-back (1,128 ± 592 s) conditions, compared with control (1,306 ± 836 s). Voluntary activation level was lower in 2-back (87.1%; p < 0.001) and 1-back (88.6%; p = 0.04) conditions compared to control (91.2%) at isotime (100% of the shortest test duration). Sympathetic activity showed a greater increase in 2-back condition compared to control. Perceived muscular exertion was higher during 2-back than during control. Cognitive performance decreased similarly with time during both cognitive-motor dual task but was always lower during 2-back condition. Motor performance is reduced when adding a concomitant demanding memory task to a prolonged isometric exercise. This can be explained by the interaction of various psychological and neurophysiological factors including higher perceived exertion, greater perturbations of autonomic nervous system activity, and cerebral impairments leading to earlier onset of central fatigue.

Previous findings indicate that facilitation of primary motor cortex (PMC) activity using trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could improve resistance to physical fatigue. However, studies have failed to consistently replicate these results. Using non-focal-tDCS during a fatiguing task, recent work showed no enhancement of corticospinal excitability of the PMC despite a longer endurance time and suggested that contamination in other brain regions involved in motor command may have occurred. In accordance with recent evidence supporting the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in exercise maintenance, this double-blind sham-controlled crossover study (N = 22) compared the effect of high definition (HD)-tDCS of the PMC or the PFC on endurance time of a sustained contraction task of the elbow flexor. Brain activity was monitored using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure the neurovascular response elicited by HD-tDCS. Electromyography (EMG) and force obtained during maximal voluntary and evoked contractions were assessed before and after the contraction task to explore the effect of brain stimulation on peripheral and central fatigue. While the stimulation affected the brain response in the PFC during the contraction task, no effects of the stimulation were observed on endurance time or fatigue indices. These results are discussed in relation to the neurocognitive models of physical effort.

International audience; This study aims to test the efficacy of text messaging cues (SMS) to promote physical activity (PA) habit formation in the workplace. Employees (N = 49; 28 females and 21 males, Mage = 47.5 ± 8.29 years) were randomized into two parallel groups: a PA group enrolled in a 28-week supervised PA program and a PA+SMS group enrolled in the same PA program with text messaging cues received before their PA sessions. The exercise habit was assessed every week from self-reports on an online application. PA maintenance and several physical fitness measures were also assessed prior to and after the intervention to evaluate its general impact. Mixed model analysis of the 603 observations indicated a small but significant effect of the SMS cues on the speed at which participants engaged in PA behaviors, as the significant interaction effect revealed that the slope of the exercise habit over time was slightly steeper in the PA+SMS group (B = 0.0462, P = 0.0001) than in the PA group (B = 0.0216, P = 0.01). SMS delivery had a marginal effect on the maintenance of PA behaviors 1 year after the intervention. The results suggest that text messaging can help to form PA habits at the workplace and might facilitate long-term maintenance of PA behaviors.

Objectives With regard to the pivotal role of physical activity (PA) in health protection, understanding how individuals maintain regular PA despite ubiquitous opportunities to adopt behaviors minimizing energetic costs (BMEC) appears crucial. The purpose of the present research was to test whether BMEC primes act as temptations and activate PA goals in successful exercisers. Design Within and between-subjects experiments. Methods Students in sports science (Experiment 1; N = 46) and individuals with high value of PA goals and low versus high PA levels (Experiment 2; N = 28) performed a primed-lexical decision task. Results Experiment 1 revealed that BMEC primes facilitated the recognition of PA-related words, whereas PA primes did not facilitate the recognition of words related to BMEC. Experiment 2 showed that this facilitative effect was specific to individuals who were successful in reaching their PA goals. Conclusions BMEC act as temptations that automatically activate the representation of PA goals in individual who manage to maintain regular PA.

The different motivations postulated by the Self-Determination Theory have proved to be meaningful to predict the level of engagement in a wide variety of life domains. The present research examines the relation between the different forms of self-determined motivation and behavioral automaticity of 12 behaviors associated with different life domains. Following 1743 measurements of self-determination (using a short version of the situational motivational scale, SIMS8), behavioral automaticity (using the self-reported behavioral automaticity index, SRBAI), and behavioral frequency (self-reported number of executions in a unit of time) for 12 various common behaviors collected on 315 young adults (Mage = 20.60 ± 2.87 years) through an online survey, the results of crossed linear mixed models indicated that self-determined motivations are more associated with behavioral automaticity than non-self-determined motivations (intrinsic motivation: β = 0.13, p

International audience; The acute-exercise effects upon cognitive functions are varied and dependent upon exercise duration and intensity, and the type of cognitive tasks assessed. The hypofrontality hypothesis assumes that prolonged exercise, at physiologically challenging intensities, is detrimental to executive functions due to cerebral perturbations (indicated by reduced prefrontal activity). The present study aimed to test this hypothesis by measuring oxygenation in prefrontal and motor regions using near-infrared spectroscopy during two executive tasks (flanker task and 2-back task) performed while cycling for 60 min at a very low intensity and an intensity above the ventilatory threshold. Findings revealed that, compared to very low intensity, physiologically challenging exercise (i) shortened reaction time in the flanker task, (ii) impaired performance in the 2-back task, and (iii) initially increased oxygenation in prefrontal, but not motor regions, which then became stable in both regions over time. Therefore, during prolonged exercise, not only is the intensity of exercise assessed important, but also the nature of the cognitive processes involved in the task. In contrast to the hypofrontality hypothesis, no inverse pattern of oxygenation between prefrontal and motor regions was observed, and prefrontal oxygenation was maintained over time. The present results go against the hypofrontality hypothesis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Although the benefits of supervised physical activity programs in cardiac rehabilitation have been well documented, the amount of physical activity often drops quickly after the end of the supervised period. This trial (registered as ISRCTN77313697 ) will evaluate the effectiveness of an experimental intervention based on habit formation theory applied to physical activity maintenance. Cardiovascular patients (N = 56) will be individually randomized into two groups. Two supervised physical activity (SPA) sessions per week will be offered to the first group for 20 weeks. Progressively autonomous physical activity (PAPA) will be offered to the second group as follows: 10 weeks of the same supervised program as the SPA group followed by 10 more weeks in which one supervised session will be replaced by a strategy to build and sustain the habit of autonomous practice of physical activity. The primary outcome is the amount of physical activity measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ; Craig et al., Med Sci Sport Exercises 35(8):1381–95, 2003). To compensate for the limited capacity to recruit subjects, multiple IPAQ measurements will be made (at T0, T5, T7, T9 and T12 months after the start of the intervention) and analyzed using the mixed model approach. We will also assess changes in physical and physiological indicators, automaticity of the physical activity behavior, motivation and quality of life. Last, we will assess the cost-effectiveness for each type of program. If proven to be effective, the PAPA intervention, which requires fewer supervised sessions, should provide a cost-effective solution to the problem of physical activity maintenance in cardiac rehabilitation.

Grounded on the Reflective–Impulsive Model, a recent study by Cheval, Sarrazin, Isoard-Gautheur, Radel, and Friese (2015) found support for an interactive pattern between reflective (i.e., physical activity intentions) and impulsive (i.e., impulsive approach tendencies towards sedentary behaviors; IASB) processes to prospectively predict objective moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) — strong IASB hindered reflective intentions from being executed. As low self-control is presumed to be associated with the stronger influence of impulsive processes on behavior, the present article provides a secondary analysis testing whether the interactive pattern between reflective intentions and IASB may be moderated by different facets of self-control (i.e., restraint and impulsivity). Ninety-seven adults completed a questionnaire assessing the study's variables of interest and wore an accelerometer over one week. Results revealed a moderated moderation pattern between intentions, IASB, and trait impulsivity — the previously documented interactive effect between intentions and IASB on objective MVPA was more pronounced for individuals with high as compared to low trait impulsivity. The results underline the dynamic interplay between intentions, IASB, and self-control in the determination of physical activity behavior.

Comprendre les déterminants des comportements d'activité physique (AP) est crucial étant donné leurs nombreux bénéfices sur la santé. Récemment, les modèles basés sur les processus duaux ont suggéré que des processus automatiques exerçaient une influence sur les comportements de santé. L'objectif de cet article est de décrire les études ayant examiné les liens entre des mesures implicites et les comportements d'AP. Une revue systématique décrivant séparément les recherches portant sur les affects automatiques, les cognitions automatiques et les motivations automatiques est présentée. Les perspectives de recherche et les implications pour les interventions visant le changement du comportement d'AP sont également exposées. Malgré des résultats encourageants, la recherche sur les affects et cognitions automatiques reste dominée par des études corrélationnelles. Les études sur les motivations automatiques ont également révélé des résultats prometteurs, mais l'effet de ces motivations est essentiellement observé à court terme et dans des contextes peu écologiques. La recherche sur les processus automatiques possède un potentiel non négligeable qui pourrait profiter aux psychologues de la santé et de l'AP. Néanmoins, des études expérimentales examinant l'effet des processus automatiques à moyen et long terme dans des contextes plus écologiques seront nécessaires pour lever les doutes sur l'implication des processus automatiques dans la régulation des comportements d'AP.

International audience; In four experiments, we tested whether embodied triggers may reduce stereotype threat. We predicted that left-side sensorimotor inductions would increase cognitive performance under stereotype threat, because such inductions are linked to avoidance motivation among right-handers. This sensorimotor-mental congruence hypothesis rests on regulatory fit research showing that stereotype threat may be reduced by avoidance-oriented interventions, and motor congruence research showing positive effects when two parameters of a motor action activate the same motivational system (avoidance or approach). Results indicated that under stereotype threat, cognitive performance was higher when participants contracted their left hand (Study 1) or when the stimuli were presented on the left side of the visual field (Studies 2-4), as compared with right-hand contraction or right-side visual stimulation. These results were observed on math (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and Stroop (Study 3) performance. An indirect effect of congruence on math performance through subjective fluency was also observed.

Introduction A recent study by Cheval et al (J Sex Med 2016;13:825–834) found that individuals high in homophobia look significantly less long at sex-related photographs, regardless of their nature (ie, homosexual or heterosexual). Because viewing time is under some conscious control, this result could indicate that individuals high in homophobia have a low sexual interest in any sexual stimuli or are consciously motivated to avoid sexual material in line with their conscious values. Aim To determine the mechanism underlying shorter viewing time of sex-related photographs in individuals high in homophobia using pupil dilatation, which is considered a spontaneous, unconscious, and uncontrollable index of sexual interest. Methods Heterosexual men (N = 36) completed a questionnaire assessing their level of homo-negativity and then performed a picture-viewing task with simultaneous eye-tracking recording to assess their pupillary responses to the presentation of sexually related or neutral photographs. Main Outcome Measures Non-linear mixed models were carried out to fit the individual non-linear trajectories of pupillary reaction. Different parameters were obtained including the final asymptote of the pupillary response. Results Results showed that the final pupil size of men high in homophobia increased significantly less to the presentation of sex-related images (ie, heterosexual and homosexual) than the pupil size of men low in homophobia. In contrast, no significant difference in the final pupil size reaction toward homosexual images (vs heterosexual images) emerged between men high and men low in homophobia. Conclusion Theoretically, these findings reinforce the necessity to consider that homophobia might reflect concerns about sexuality in general and not homosexuality in particular.

This research aimed to investigate the conditions under which motivational contagion occurs. Based on assimilation/contrast models in priming research, we hypothesized that motivational contagion should only occur in case of moderate distance between perceiver and model’s motivation. A first lab-study supported this hypothesis by showing that the effect of the exposure to a model presented as highly intrinsically motivated (compared to a model presented as moderately intrinsically motivated or to a not-presented model) depended on participants’ initial intrinsic motivation. While it led intrinsically motivated participants to invest more effort to learn a new activity, those who were weakly intrinsically motivated exerted less effort. A second study in a real educational context confirmed our hypothesis by showing that weakly intrinsically motivated students invested more effort during a physical education term when yoked with a peer with a moderate intrinsic motivation than when yoked a highly intrinsically motivated peer.

International audience; This study aimed at investigating concurrent changes in cognitive control and cerebral oxygenation (Cox) during steady intense exercise to volitional exhaustion. Fifteen participants were monitored using prefrontal near-infrared spectroscopy and electromyography of the thumb muscles during the completion of an Eriksen flanker task completed either at rest (control condition) or while cycling at a strenuous intensity until exhaustion (exercise condition). Two time windows were matched between the conditions to distinguish a potential exercise-induced evolutive cognitive effect: an initial period and a terminal period. In the initial period, Cox remained unaltered and, contrary to theoretical predictions, exercise did not induce any deficit in selective response inhibition. Rather, the drop-off of the delta curve as reaction time lengthened suggested enhanced efficiency of cognitive processes in the first part of the exercise bout. Shortly before exhaustion, Cox values were severely reduced - though not characteristic of a hypofrontality state - while no sign of deficit in selective response inhibition was observed. Despite this, individual's susceptibility to making fast impulsive errors increased and less efficient online correction of incorrect activation was observed near exhaustion. A negative correlation between Cox values and error rate was observed and is discussed in terms of cerebral resources redistribution. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International audience; There is now a large body of evidence showing that many different conditions related to impaired fronto-executive functioning are associated with the enhancement of some types of creativity. In this paper, we pursue the possibility that the central mechanism associated with this effect might be a reduced capacity to exert inhibition. We tested this hypothesis by exhausting the inhibition efficiency through prolonged and intensive practice of either the Simon or the Eriksen Flanker task. Performance on another inhibition task indicated that only the cognitive resources for inhibition of participants facing high inhibition demands were impaired. Subsequent creativity tests revealed that exposure to high inhibition demands led to enhanced fluency in a divergent thinking task (Alternate Uses Task), but no such changes occurred in a convergent task (Remote Associate Task; studies la and lb). The same manipulation also led to a hyper-priming effect for weakly related primes in a Lexical Decision Task (Study 2). Together, these findings suggest that inhibition selectively affects some types of creative processes and that, when resources for inhibition are lacking, the frequency and the originality of ideas was facilitated. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; Controlling instructions typically undermine intrinsic motivation. However, in line with an autonomy restoration process, we hypothesized that prior exposure to a controlling context could increase intrinsic motivation displayed in a subsequent task if this second task is devoid of autonomy threats. A correlational study in educational context provided support for this effect by showing that students reported more interest in their music class when it was preceded by a class that was controlling. This effect was replicated in an experiment wherein participants who learned to play a game in a controlling context reported more interest in a second game than those who learned the first game in a neutral context. However, this effect disappears when the two tasks were done in a similar environment. Overall, this suggests that autonomy deprived students would display more intrinsic motivation in a subsequent task if this task gives a glimpse of autonomy satisfaction.

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International audience; This study examines whether motivation can be primed through unattended speech. Study 1 used a dichotic-listening paradigm and repeated strength measures. In comparison to the baseline condition, in which the unattended channel was only composed by neutral words, the presence of words related to high (low) intensity of motivation led participants to exert more (less) strength when squeezing a hand dynamometer. In a second study, a barely audible conversation was played while participants' attention was mobilized on a demanding task. Participants who were exposed to a conversation depicting intrinsic motivation performed better and persevered longer in a subsequent word-fragment completion task than those exposed to the same conversation made unintelligible. These findings suggest that motivation can be primed without attention.

International audience; Like other fundamental needs, recent studies have shown that the need for autonomy elicits goal-ori- ented behaviors that aim to its restoration when it is thwarted. However, no research has yet examined the factors that moderate the restoration process. In the present studies, we investigated the moderating role of perceived competence in the restoration of autonomy. We monitored autonomy restoration behaviors by assessing the extent to which participants turn away from a controlling function in a computerized puzzle task. Across the two studies, the results suggested that, in comparison with baseline partic- ipants, autonomy-deprived participants acted to regain their autonomy but only when their level of perceived compe- tence in the task was high. When perceived competence was low, participants disengaged from autonomy restora- tion, seemingly to favor competence. These findings are discussed using self-determination theory and models of stress and coping.

Autonomy is described by self-determination theory as a basic psychological need, essential for individuals' well-being. While basic needs are generally thought to induce a restorative response when thwarted, evidence for such a process is lacking for autonomy. To date, most evidence indicates that autonomy deprivation leads to disaffection of this need in favor of other motives. A temporal model based on the general adaptation syndrome was adapted to reconcile this seeming contradiction. Specifically, it is hypothesized that an early alarm response aimed at restoring the satisfaction of the need for autonomy should precede the later relinquishment and compensation of this need that would result from a prolonged deprivation. Three studies provide support for this model by showing the existence of the immediate autonomy restorative response. Using a controlling situation to manipulate autonomy deprivation, the authors demonstrate in Experiments 1 and 2 that a controlling context leads to enhanced accessibility and an approach bias for autonomy-related stimuli. Experiment 3 indicates that the urge to restore autonomy can also affect personal judgment, leading individuals to make more independent judgments, exercising a nonreactive form of autonomy. Integration of this model within self-determination theory is discussed.

International audience; We examined (a) whether motivational orientation can spread from teachers to students during two consecutive teaching-learning sessions and (b) mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in a special physical education session delivered to high school students. Participants who were taught a sport activity by an allegedly paid instructor reported lower interest in learning and exhibited less persistence in a free choice period than students taught by a supposedly volunteer instructor, despite receiving the same standardized lesson across experimental conditions. When participants taught the activity to their peers in a subsequent unconstrained learning session, lower levels of interest and behavioral persistence were also exhibited by learners who received the second lesson. A structural equation model confirmed that learners at the end of this educational chain made inferences about how intrinsically motivated their peer tutor was based on their teaching style (i.e., autonomy-supportive behaviors) and the positive affects they displayed. These inferences, in turn, affected their own intrinsic motivation for the activity. Results are interpreted in relation to self-determination theory, and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

International audience; Recent literature indicates that a motivational orientation can be unconsciously primed. This study examined whether motivational priming influences students' academic performance within an educational setting and whether this effect is moderated by students' degree of mindfulness. Two randomly assigned groups of students received an identical lesson. However, the teacher's slideshow contained different subliminal words according to the condition (autonomous vs. controlled motivation). Results demonstrated an interaction between students' dispositional mindfulness and priming conditions. The more mindful students were immune to the manipulation whereas the less mindful students were affected by the priming: those primed with autonomous motivation obtained better results than those primed with controlled motivation. These findings contribute to priming research specifying individual differences of priming responsiveness.