External conditions and disposition-behaviour congruity as determinants of perceived personal causation among exercise adherers and non-adherers

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which perceptions of external conditions, such as physical proximity to the exercise area and disposition-behaviour congruity, affect observers' perceptions of personal causation of exercise adherers and non-adherers with regard to physical activity. The hypothetical scenario technique was used, with 120 adherers and 120 non-adherers, to investigate attributions of freedom, choice, control and responsibility. The results revealed that these attributions were significantly affected by perceived external conditions, and by the question of whether behavioural alternatives to be chosen were perceived as being congruent with an actor's disposition. Similar attributional patterns were revealed on all dimensions of personal causation, for the adherers and non-adherers. The implications of these findings for attributional research in the area of exercise adherence are discussed.