Further Refinements in the Measurement of Exercise Imagery: The Exercise Imagery Inventory

The factorial and construct validity of the Exercise Imagery Inventory (EII) were assessed with 3 separate samples of participants. In Phase 1, a 41-item measure was administered to 504 undergraduate students. Exploratory factor analysis supported a 4-factor model that explained 65% of the variance. In Phase 2, a 19-item measure was administered to a sample of 509 individuals to assess 4- and 5-factor models. During Phase 3, 724 participants completed the EII, the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1985), and the Barriers Self-Efficacy Scale (McAuley, 1992) to further test the factor structure of the EII and correlations with exercise-related constructs. Our results supported a 4-factor model to explain the latent structure of the 19-item scale. The 4 exercise imagery factors were labeled Appearance- Health imagery, Exercise Technique, Exercise Self-efficacy, and Exercise Feelings. The EII subscales were positively correlated with exercise behavior and exercise self-efficacy.