L3: Self-tracking and physical activity Flashcards
andere benamingen voor self-tracking
- life logging
- body hacking
- living by numbers
- quantified self
Self-tracking devices are designed to…
quantify everyday activities and then provide feedback to user such that they can better understand and possibly modify their activities and behaviors
4 positive processes involved in self-tracking
- self-awareness
- self-reflectioon
- self-knowledge
- healthier lifestyle
what happens during the self-awareness phase
people become aware of their behaviour
what happens during the self-reflection phase
attribution bias is revealed and can be reduced (less attribution of external factors as reasons)
- external: ik kan niet afvallen door genetics
- internal: het ligt aan mijn eigen overconsumptie
voorbeeld van self-knowledge phase
i really only had one period [of disuse] and I think it was because I knew I was being pretty sedentary at that time. I wasn’t feeling well and was really fatigued and maybe I just didn’t want to see the numbers. So … part of the reason I continue to wear it is it does motivate me to maintain a certain activity level
what happens during the self-knowledge phahse
je krijgt bewijs dat je het wél kan, en dat je je ook beter voelt daarbij
unintended effects of self-tracking
- anxious
- feeling guilty
- cheating the fitbit
self-tracking can be extremely helpful for people who got into an accident and became very avoidant.
oke
experiment about the hidden cost of self-quantification
- 2 groepen: eentje met numerical feedback en eentje zonder numerical feedback (they knew they were being tracked tho).
- more walking in the numbers condition, less walking in the no numbers condition
- but, people in the numbers condition enjoyed walking less -> might see walking as a chore
are trackers social agents: experiment
- cover story: usability testing, how comfortable is it to wear? (but actually was about the walking)
- 3 conditions: feedback, no feedback, control (saying they took out the battery but they did not)
- “Could you write a short bed time story about your adventures of the day?” -> see how much emphasis they would put on walking
- the feedback group: the emphasis on numbers lead to less enjoyment, therefore this is not sustainable/long term
hoe kan self-quantification dus leiden tot minder intrinsiek geluk van een activiteit
Even though measurement itself does not provide explicit external incentives, the findings show it can have similar effects. Simply measuring how much of an activity people do can undermine intrinsic motivation, reducing how much the activity is enjoyed, continued engagement, and subjective well-being.
unintended effects of self-tracking
- awareness and self-focus
- reductionist assessment
- over-trust of data
verschil adaptive self-focus en maladaptive self-focus
- Adaptive self-focus: Self-reflective & You can make plans and think more in a concrete level
- Maladaptive self-focus: Rumination & Involves evaluation and judgement
hoe staat excessive self-focus in relatie tot eating disorders
hose who use calorie tracking manifested higher level of eating concerns and dietary restraint. Their attention to food-related cues is thought to be more salient, which can lead to excessive self-focus. And they were associated with eating disorder symptomology.
reductionist assessment=
Over time, numbers become the ultimate focus (instead of progression).
The measurements used in self-tracking tend to be relatively simple and limited compared to the real-world phenomena they aim to represent.
Users change their routine to to better suit what the system can track (e.g., replacing one type of exercise with another because the activity tracker cannot reliably recognize certain activities).
Also, there are Strava Mules
bv als ze geen boulderen hebben dan zwemmen opschrijven
overtrust of data=
The quantitative & numerical presentations often used tend to imply a higher level of precision than can actually be achieved.
voorbeeld van over-trust of data
Orthosomnia: The condition of not listening/checking in with one’s own body and instead obsessivelydepending on the sleep tracker data in the pursuit of an ideal sleep pattern
theory of planned behaviour
attitudes, subjective norms & perceived behavioural control -> intentions -> behaviour
self-efficacy =
confidence in ones ability to accomplish/succeed/handle tasks and situations.
is about perceived capabilities
is the belief that you can make progress through effort
Self-efficacy is a major determinant of ….
whether or not people stick to new habits
exp met self-efficacy en praise
Students are found to be less likely to accept a new challenge when praised for their ability instead of effort
3 ways to design e-health behaviour change interventions that enhance self-efficacy
- Appreciate effort (not only the ability to reach a goal)
- Reward consistency not competition
- Treat numbers as supportive characters and not as a main actor
avoidance motivation=
they will fear exposing their incompetence, therefore avoid challenges.
Notions like “pleasurable pain” should be acknowledged and embraced via ehealth, as they signify the exploration of new bodily boundaries.
reward consistency=
- consistency > competition
- self-efficacy grows through the accumulation of small wins
- self-tracking technologies should reward consistent efforts
numbers are supportive characters and not a main actor
- Performance is not the ultimate goal, but rather a broader set f embodied and contextualized experiences associated with
exercise. - Self-efficacy is grounded in feeling in control of one’s behaviors.
- Too dependent on external metrics»_space;> you may lose in touch with internal cues
Iris, a 35-year-old office worker, started using a fitness tracker to improve her physical activity levels.
She set a goal to reach 10,000 steps daily and initially found the goal motivating. However, as time
went on, she became increasingly fixated on hitting that number, no matter what. On days when she
was feeling tired or sore, she still pushed herself to reach the goal, even doing laps around her
apartment late at night to “make up” for missed steps earlier in the day.
After a few months of this routine, Iris developed shin splints from walking too much on hard surfaces
without proper rest. Despite the pain, her fitness tracker continued sending notifications reminding her
that she was “behind” on her step goal. She ignored her body’s warning signs, feeling that not reaching
her step count was a failure.
Eventually, Iris’s shin splints turned into a more serious injury, requiring physical therapy and weeks of
complete rest. This not only set back her fitness goals but also led to frustration and a sense of failure.
Iris now associates physical activity with pain and is hesitant to restart her exercise routine.
- How did Iris’s fixation on data (i.e., hitting 10,000 steps) contribute to her
injury? - How could self-tracking tools be designed differently to promote rest and
recovery rather than encouraging overexertion? - What role does self-efficacy play in this scenario?
- How might Iris’s injury have affected her belief in her ability to maintain a
healthy lifestyle?
even goed antwoord voor bedenken
Thijs, a 22-year-old college student, decided to get back into shape after noticing that he was
gaining weight during his final year of study. He bought a popular fitness tracker, which
automatically set his daily calorie-burning goal based on his height, weight, and age. The app
recommended he burn 500 calories through exercise every day, which seemed like a
reasonable goal at first.
However, Thijs soon found that this goal was hard to achieve on busy school days, when he
had long lectures and study sessions. The app would notify him when he was “behind” on his
calorie-burning goal, and this made him feel guilty. On days when he couldn’t exercise enough,
the app displayed reminders that he had fallen short, and over time, this led to feelings of
frustration.
After several weeks of not hitting his goals, Thijs felt discouraged and began to skip workouts
altogether. The app, which was meant to motivate him, now made him feel like he was failing,
even though he was still more active than before he had the tracker.
- How did the app’s focus on calorie-burning affect Thijs’s motivation and
behavior? - What unintended psychological effects did the constant notifications and
reminders have on Thijs? - How could the app be designed to celebrate effort and progress rather
than purely focusing on goal completion? - How might Thijs’s experience affect his self-efficacy for physical activity
in the long term?
goed antwoord op bedenken
