The Effects of Delayed Music Presentation During Aerobic on Exerciser Performance and Perception.

Extensive research has supported the positive effects of music on exercise performance and enjoyment. However, the extent literature does not fully examine the effect of music presentation timing on exercise experience. Therefore, this experimental study tests the effects of music presentation timing on perceived exertion, attention, and emotional state during aerobic exercise. Researchers randomly assigned 43 participants to either a control or one of two experimental groups. In the first experimental group, participants listened to music throughout the entire exercise while participants in the second experimental group began listening to music when they reached or exceed RPE 11. Participants completed a modified Balke and Ware exercise test while reporting their HR, RPE, and attention every minute. Results indicated a significant time point by music group interaction on RPE, with no-music resulting in significantly higher RPEs than music-throughout or delayed-music at exercise completion, but not before. Similarly, a time point by music group interaction indicated that participants' attention in the no-music group was more associative than participants in the music-throughout or delayed-music groups at exercise completion. These changes did not have a significant effect on affective response. These results replicated previous research on music during exercise but did not find evidence for further dissociation and reduction of RPE with delayed-music stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]