Effect of a Virtual Coach on Athletes' Motivation

The experiment described in this paper addressed two main questions. Can a virtual coach motivate beginning athletes? Can a virtual coach influence beginning athletes exercise behavior? The results show that doing physical exercises is more enjoyable with a virtual coach than without, consequently increasing the intrinsic motivation. Also, the extrinsic motivation is increased by a virtual coach, which is indicated by higher external regulation. Finally, participants biked more in the optimal heart beat zone in the condition with the coach. Longitudinal research is needed to find out the long-term effect of a virtual coach.