2025 Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 177-188
An online experiment using slideshow-style stimulus videos was conducted with adults in three metropolitan areas (n = 400) to explore the mental processes that promote walking. Results from covariance structure analysis showed that walking frequency can influence the activation of mental representations of the neighborhood environment. It was also shown that the mental processes that facilitate walking may be processes arising from the activation of these mental representations that influence intrinsic motivation and positive emotions. These mental processes were associated with place attachment, suggesting that place attachment may also influence walking frequency. Multi-group covariance structure analyses revealed that age and place of residence influenced this mental process, with this mental process being more pronounced in early adult residents and those living in peri-urban areas.
