Journal
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 12, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797484
Keywords
exercise; attitude; intention-behavior gap; habit (automatism); identity; perceived behavioral control
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The article provides an overview of the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework, which suggests three layered processes from the formation of an intention to sustained physical activity action control. The intention-behavior discordance is attributed to strategic challenges in goal pursuit and automatic tendencies. Results from observational and preliminary experimental studies generally support the proposed M-PAC framework, but future research is needed to explore the temporal dynamics between reflexive and regulatory constructs.
The gap between the decision to engage in physical activity and subsequent behavioral enactment is considerable for many. Action control theories focus on this discordance in an attempt to improve the translation of intention into behavior. The purpose of this mini-review was to overview one of these approaches, the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework, which has evolved from a collection of previous works. The main concepts and operational structure of M-PAC was overviewed followed by applications of the framework in physical activity, and concluded with unanswered questions, limitations, and possibilities for future research. In M-PAC, it is suggested that three layered processes (reflective, regulatory, reflexive) build upon each other from the formation of an intention to a sustained profile of physical activity action control. Intention-behavior discordance is because of strategic challenges in goal pursuit (differences in outcome vs. behavioral goals; balancing multiple behavioral goals) and automatic tendencies (approach-avoidance, conservation of energy expenditure). Regulatory processes (prospective and reactive tactics) are employed to hold the relationship between reflective processes and behavior concordant by countering these strategic challenges and automatic tendencies until the development of reflexive processes (habit, identity) begin to co-determine action control. Results from 29 observational and preliminary experimental studies generally support the proposed M-PAC framework. Future research is needed to explore the temporal dynamic between reflexive and regulatory constructs, and implement M-PAC interventions in different forms (e.g., mobile health), and at different levels of scale (clinical, group, population).
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