Development and initial validity of the Exercise-Related Cognitive Errors Questionnaire

Objective: Cognitive errors (CEs) reflect individuals' biased evaluations of context-relevant information. In the exercise domain, a valid form of exercise CE assessment is needed. The Exercise-related Cognitive Errors Questionnaire (E-CEQ) was developed to determine to what extent adults make cognitive errors regarding exercise decisions. The purpose of this study was to develop and provide initial validity evidence for the E-CEQ Design: The current study used an online self-report survey. Method: First, 24 initial vignettes representing 6 CEs were created and content validated. Second, data from 364 adults (M-age = 29.1, SDage = 11.6; 81.3% female) was gathered to examine the E-CEQ's factor structure. Finally, data from the 364 participants was used to examine aspects of criterion-related validity. Results: A 16-item, three-factor model was retained as the final E-CEQ factor structure and had good psychometric properties (chi(2) = 164.35, df = 75, p < .001; RMSEA = .057; CFI = .947; TLI = .915). Evidence of the questionnaire's predictive utility is provided. For example, exercise CEs were negatively related to exercise and accounted for 4.9% of additional variance beyond the contribution of past exercise in predicting exercise intention. Conclusions: The steps taken to examine different forms of validity helped provide a platform from which to continue (a) to study biases linked to cognitive errors and (b) the E-CEQ validation process through ongoing investigation. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.