Feasibility Study on the Relationship Between Aerobic Capacity and Intrinsic Motivation Associated with Task Self-Regulation

Introduction: Law enforcement officers (LEOs) face demands that require optimal task performance despite possible motivational challenges. This feasibility study’s purpose was to investigate the relationship between VO2max and four motivation-based constructs in healthy, similar-aged individuals as LEO cadets. A better understanding of the relationship between physical fitness and intrinsic motivation is imperative in the future facilitation of LEO studies regarding task self-regulation. Methods: 16 students (nmales=9, nfemales=7; age=23±3 yr) attending a private, Midwestern university completed a graded exercise test to volitional fatigue on a stationary cycle ergometer and the Task Evaluation Questionnaire designed to measure four motivational constructs after performing a given activity: interest/enjoyment (I/E), perceived competence (PCo), perceived choice (PCh), and pressure/tension (P/T). Due to non-normally distributed data, a Spearman's rank-order correlation was performed with an alpha level of p