Interactive effects of video, priming, and music on emotions and the needs underlying intrinsic motivation

Abstract

Objectives: Emotions can enhance motivation towards a particular goal (Brehm, 1999), while activation of human motivation does not necessarily involve conscious processes (Bargh, 1990). The main purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of video, priming, and music on a range of emotion- and motivation-related variables, while the secondary purpose was to conduct a cross-cultural comparison. Design: A randomized controlled design was employed to address the interactive effects of video, priming, and music on emotions and motivation with reference to the circumplex theory of emotion. Methods: Participants comprised a convenience sample of 210 volunteers (English, n = 128; M = 20.0, SD = 4.7 years; Male, n = 65; Female, n = 63; Greek, n = 82, M = 23.3, SD = 2.4 years; Male, n = 59; Female, n = 23). A control condition and five experimental conditions were presented to participants in a counterbalanced order. The needs underlying intrinsic motivation were accessed using the Activity Feeling-state Scales (AFS; Reeve & Sickenius, 1994), while emotional states were assessed using adjectives from the Circumplex Model of Affect (Russell, 1980). Results: Findings showed that music had positive effects on emotional states and the psychological needs underlying intrinsic motivation. They also highlighted the positive effects of priming as a psychological intervention – particularly when presented through video and coupled with music. Conclusions: The study presents the state-of-the-art for the use of video, priming, and music in sport and includes recommendations for sport psychology practitioners and researchers.