Lecture 17 - Hedonism & Exercise Behaviour Flashcards
Who is Thomas Kuhn and what did her propose?
TK was an american philosopher who published The Structure of Scientific Revolutions in which he introduced the works “paradigm shift” and “thinking outside the box”
- Kuhn claimed that scientific fields undergo periodic paradigms shifts rather than solely progressing in a linear continuous way, and that these paradigm shifts open up new approaches to understanding what scientists never have considered valid before
- i.e. smoking used to be fine and now it’s very obvious it’s very bad for you
the notion of scientific truth is defined by ____
a consensus of a scientific comunity
- it’s the consensus of the scientific comunity that smoking is bad for you
how are paradigms changed/challenged
an old paradigm, according to which behavioural decisions (such as decision to exercise) are guided by the rational cognitive analysis of available information has started to be challenged
how is NB fitness levels and the field of ex. psych in the midst of a kuhnian crisis
The average 20 year old in NB will not like as long as their parents because the parents are fitter (this is the kuhnian crisis)
- over the past 20, health benefits of PA has become more available than ever, yet the levels of ppl engaging in regular PA is at best stagnant and at worse declining
- ppl in NB are less fit now than ever before despite more knowledge about fitness and health
- the more we know about PA and the more we educate ppl on PA the less fit they are becoming
what is kuhnian crisis
The expanding crisis prompted by the anomaly triggers a distressing period of uncertainty within the field. [the beginning go the Model Crisis step] This period of uncertainty, or “crisis” as Kuhn called it, is fertile ground for the creative impulses within the scientific community.
what is a paradigm
a combination of theory, practice, and instrumentation that acts as an accepted example of scientific practice
normal science operates on ______
the basis of paradigmns
- normal science does not do is observe and consider new phenomena
according to Kuhn, what is a mature paradigm
a mature paradigm is a jumping off stage for change (when you start to question things)
- the reason is that a paradigm precisely specifies what is anticipated
*for example, it leads to the development of instruments specifically engineered to find the anticipated results
- this situation creates the conditions for the observation of anomalies, and it is the study of anomalies which is impetus for scientific progress
do all anomalies result in progress?
No, the vast majority are ignored
- “the earth is flat” does not result in a paradigm shift
- when an anomaly persists over a period of time, the most common effect is that scientist will attempt to alter their instrumentation in a way that makes the anomaly disappear or they will try and make the anomaly fit within the paradigm “maybe we’re measuring incorectly”
how can an anomaly result in a crisis?
it rarely happens but as a result of the crisis the anomaly becomes more widely recognized
- the anomaly then becomes the new fixation point of scientific study and it leads to a reconstruction in the field
are PA and exercise viewed as heathy behaviours
PA is viewed as just another variant of health behaviour (the same as practicing safe sex, brushing your teeth, and eating fruit and veggies)
- Yet exercise seems to have almost 0 correlations with other health behaviours. But theories do not seem to take into account the uniqueness of PA
o Ex. Most people brush their teeth but do not exercise
how has the “PA paradox” been very frustrating for public health?
On the one hand, PA is the “best buy” in public health. On the other hand, promoting PA
to the public has proven to be a very tough sell
- The situation challenges the notion that human beings make decisions on the basis of
rational information processing. However, this idea is a core assumption of most
contemporary theories
- In societies where there are constant messages about the benefits of PA, the population
should be (for the most part) physically active
- However, although some studies have suggested that anywhere from 85-95% of people
view PA as important or very important, participation rates still tend to be low
o Ex. If we don’t have sex, the population will die off. As a species, we must have
sex to survive and save the planet. But people our age have sex because it’s fun o If we put out the same message about PA (about it being fun), then participation
rates may go up. Video games are more fun than PA to young kids
what must we have in order to have a good understanding of rationality
we have to understand the role emotion plays in order to have a good understanding of rationality
For example, eating behaviour and food choices are driven by the rewarding effects of
food, which has come to be regarded as self-evident
- By extension, we accept that the pleasure associated with eating has contributed to the
problem of obesity
- The idea that exercise must be pleasant or else it is unlikely to be continued has been
promoted by some researchers
- It has been suggested that exercise should be enjoyable, rewarding, and fun because
people are more likely to participate in things that are fun
- Feelings of enjoyment seem to be stronger motives for continued participation than
knowledge of and belief in the health benefits of PA
