Psychological Predictors of Fitness and Performance in Active Duty U.S. Navy Personnel

Abstract

Abstract : The purpose of the present study was to assess the role of psychological variables (e.g., mood scales, physical estimation and attraction, physical self-concept, and personality scales) in predicting physical performance and fitness measures in a sample of military volunteers. Subjects were 102 active duty U. S. Navy personnel, 64 males and 38 females. Subjects performed a number of physical performance and fitness tasks (including 1.5-mile run, carrying task, and incremental treadmill task), and completed a battery of standardized questionnaires. Results were analyzed by multiple regression technique. The primary findings were: (a) questionnaire measures, most notably the Attraction score from the Physical Estimation and Attraction Scale, can be used to predict performance and fitness measures in an active duty Navy sample; (b) while fitness measures are clearly superior to questionnaire measures in predicting physical performance, questionnaire measures, again most notably the Attraction score, can be used to enhance the prediction equation over fitness measures alone; (c) there were only minimal differences between males and females in significance of questionnaire measures to predict performance or fitness.