L3: Self-tracking and physical activity

Question 1

andere benamingen voor self-tracking

Answer 1

• life logging
• body hacking
• living by numbers
• quantified self

Question 2

Self-tracking devices are designed to…

Answer 2

quantify everyday activities and then provide feedback to user such that they can better understand and possibly modify their activities and behaviors

Question 3

4 positive processes involved in self-tracking

Answer 3

• self-awareness
• self-reflectioon
• self-knowledge
• healthier lifestyle

Question 4

what happens during the self-awareness phase

Answer 4

people become aware of their behaviour

Question 5

what happens during the self-reflection phase

Answer 5

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

Question 6

voorbeeld van self-knowledge phase

Answer 6

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

Question 7

what happens during the self-knowledge phahse

Answer 7

je krijgt bewijs dat je het wél kan, en dat je je ook beter voelt daarbij

Question 8

unintended effects of self-tracking

Answer 8

• anxious
• feeling guilty
• cheating the fitbit

Question 9

self-tracking can be extremely helpful for people who got into an accident and became very avoidant.

Answer 9

oke

Question 10

experiment about the hidden cost of self-quantification

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

are trackers social agents: experiment

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

hoe kan self-quantification dus leiden tot minder intrinsiek geluk van een activiteit

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

unintended effects of self-tracking

Answer 13

1. awareness and self-focus
2. reductionist assessment
3. over-trust of data

Question 14

verschil adaptive self-focus en maladaptive self-focus

Answer 14

1. Adaptive self-focus: Self-reflective & You can make plans and think more in a concrete level
2. Maladaptive self-focus: Rumination & Involves evaluation and judgement

Question 15

hoe staat excessive self-focus in relatie tot eating disorders

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

reductionist assessment=

Answer 16

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

Question 17

overtrust of data=

Answer 17

The quantitative & numerical presentations often used tend to imply a higher level of precision than can actually be achieved.

Question 18

voorbeeld van over-trust of data

Answer 18

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

Question 19

theory of planned behaviour

Answer 19

attitudes, subjective norms & perceived behavioural control -> intentions -> behaviour

Question 20

self-efficacy =

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Self-efficacy is a major determinant of ….

Answer 21

whether or not people stick to new habits

Question 22

exp met self-efficacy en praise

Answer 22

Students are found to be less likely to accept a new challenge when praised for their ability instead of effort

Question 23

3 ways to design e-health behaviour change interventions that enhance self-efficacy

Answer 23

1. Appreciate effort (not only the ability to reach a goal)
2. Reward consistency not competition
3. Treat numbers as supportive characters and not as a main actor

Question 24

avoidance motivation=

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

reward consistency=

Answer 25

• consistency > competition
• self-efficacy grows through the accumulation of small wins
• self-tracking technologies should reward consistent efforts

Question 26

numbers are supportive characters and not a main actor

Answer 26

• 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&raquo_space;> you may lose in touch with internal cues

Question 27

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?

Answer 27

even goed antwoord voor bedenken

Question 28

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?

Answer 28

goed antwoord op bedenken