<p>The study led by Deborah Feltz, chairperson of Michigan State University department of kinesiology, is the first to investigate the Kohler effect on motivation in health video games.<br /><br />Kohler effect explains why inferior team members perform better in a group than they would by themselves, the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology reports.<br /><br />"Our results suggest working out with virtually present, superior partners can improve motivation on exercise game tasks," Feltz said, according to a Michigan statement.<br /><br />"One of the key hurdles people cite in not working out is a lack of motivation," Feltz said.<br />"Research has shown working out with a partner increases motivation, and with a virtual partner, you are removing the social anxiety that some people feel working out in public." <br />As part of the study, Feltz and her team used the Eye Toy camera and PlayStation 2 to measure if a virtual partner motivated people to exercise harder, longer or more frequently. <br /><br />A plank exercise (which strengthens a person's core abdominal muscles) was used for nearly all 200 participants. <br /><br />Participants performed the first series of five exercises alone holding each position for as long as they could. After a rest period, they were told they would do the remaining trials with a same-sex virtual partner whom they could observe during their performance. <br /><br />The partner's performance was manipulated to be always superior to the participant's.<br />Results showed that task persistence was significantly greater in all experimental conditions; those who exercised with a more-capable virtual partner performed the exercise 24 percent longer than those without.<br /><br />Also, researchers have found live exercise partners are not always the most helpful.</p>
<p>The study led by Deborah Feltz, chairperson of Michigan State University department of kinesiology, is the first to investigate the Kohler effect on motivation in health video games.<br /><br />Kohler effect explains why inferior team members perform better in a group than they would by themselves, the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology reports.<br /><br />"Our results suggest working out with virtually present, superior partners can improve motivation on exercise game tasks," Feltz said, according to a Michigan statement.<br /><br />"One of the key hurdles people cite in not working out is a lack of motivation," Feltz said.<br />"Research has shown working out with a partner increases motivation, and with a virtual partner, you are removing the social anxiety that some people feel working out in public." <br />As part of the study, Feltz and her team used the Eye Toy camera and PlayStation 2 to measure if a virtual partner motivated people to exercise harder, longer or more frequently. <br /><br />A plank exercise (which strengthens a person's core abdominal muscles) was used for nearly all 200 participants. <br /><br />Participants performed the first series of five exercises alone holding each position for as long as they could. After a rest period, they were told they would do the remaining trials with a same-sex virtual partner whom they could observe during their performance. <br /><br />The partner's performance was manipulated to be always superior to the participant's.<br />Results showed that task persistence was significantly greater in all experimental conditions; those who exercised with a more-capable virtual partner performed the exercise 24 percent longer than those without.<br /><br />Also, researchers have found live exercise partners are not always the most helpful.</p>