Metacognitive processes and attentional focus in recreational endurance runners

Abstract

This study examined the metacognitive processes and attentional focus of recreational endurance runners. The emphasis was on understanding the metacognitive processes important to acquire, develop, and refine cognitive strategies in novice endurance exercise participants. The potential impact of metacognitive processes and cognitive strategies on longer-term endurance activity adherence was also of interest. To meet these aims, ten recreational runners were interviewed to retrospectively explore metacognitive processes and attentional focus during running. Data were analysed using deductive and inductive content analyses. The data revealed that runners engaged in a relatively limited array of metacognitive skills and may not possess a detailed knowledge of task-specific attentional strategies to regulate cognition. Few runners engaged in metacognitive planning or reviewing by themselves, for example. Cognitive strategies were developed with experience, however, and often as a consequence of unpleasant, effort-related sensory experiences. Other, more experienced runners were also influential sources for cognitive strategy acquisition. These findings are novel within an endurance activity context. Based on our interpretation of the findings, we propose that interventions to enhance metacognitive abilities and assist novice endurance participants to acquire, develop, and refine task-appropriate cognitive strategies, may be important to longer-term endurance activity adherence.