Attitudes toward smart sports technologies and artificial intelligence: an examination from cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions

Background The aim of this study is to examine university students' attitudes toward smart sports technologies and artificial intelligence within the framework of cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, and to determine the predictive and mediating effects of these dimensions on attitudes toward wearable technological sports products. Objective A total of 684 University Students' studying in the Faculties of Sports Sciences of universities in Istanbul participated in the study. Methods The data collection tools used were a Personal Information Form, an Attitude Scale Toward Wearable Technological Sports Products, and an Attitude Scale Toward Artificial Intelligence. IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 and Hayes PROCESS Macro were used for data analysis; descriptive statistics, independent samples t -test, Pearson correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and mediation analysis were applied. Results The findings revealed significant gender differences in attitudes toward smart sports technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as significant and positive relationships among cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes and a strong predictive effect of these attitudes on attitudes toward wearable sports technologies. Conclusions In conclusion, it can be said that individuals' cognitive evaluations of artificial intelligence influence their emotional and behavioral tendencies, thus shaping their attitudes toward smart sports technologies. These findings demonstrate that psychological attitude dimensions play a significant role in the adoption of artificial intelligence and wearable technologies in sports environments.