Resolutions, Exercise Trackers & Operant Conditioning

“… To get in shape” is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, and arguably the one most often broken. For some, the solution may lie in the new wave of exercise trackers. Wristbands and other gadgets rely on operant conditioning — the potential for feedback from the environment to affect desired (or undesired) behavior. Depending on the gadget, trackers provide can provide personalized information about information including: the number of steps taken per day (which is then converted into miles traversed or calories burned); total calories consumed; and the length and depth of nightly sleep. Some of these trackers also will provide daily, weekly, or monthly trends. The idea is that making people aware of their daily activity and caloric intake will motivate them to make better choices and achieve health-related goals. This premise is nothing new: The old-school, low-tech versions of these trackers are the pencil and paper food diaries and exercise logs. For some people, writing down their eating and exercise behaviors can be the key to making healthy changes. One of the challenges inherent in the diary approach, however, is getting people actually to write things down. Unfortunately, most techies — and pretty much everyone under 40 — are unlikely to carry around small pocket notebooks. And no “feedback” from the diary means no reinforcement for positive behaviors. It also means one can remain blissfully unaware of one’s degree of...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Brain and Behavior General Habits Self-Help Technology Caloric Intake Calories Diary Dime Store Exercise 2 Exercise Logs Food Diaries Gadget Gadgets New Wave New Year Notebooks Old School Operant Conditioning Paper Lo Source Type: blogs