Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity

Published by De Gruyter

Volume 5 Issue 1

January 2010

Issue of Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity

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Contents
Journal Overview

Article

January 7, 2010

Paradoxical-Success Imagery in the Field

Derek de la Pena, Anselm Khoo, Nicholas P Murray

Abstract

In the current study, 27 male club-soccer players were trained with paradoxical-success imagery (de la Peña, 2009) in the field. Based on the tenets of Wegner's (1994) theory of ironic processes of mental control and previous research (e.g., de la Peña, 2009; Mellalieu et al., 2009), it was predicted that participants who imaged experiencing anxiety-related symptoms (combined with additional substantiated imagery components) prior to competing, would show a positive increase in self-confidence and interpretation of anxiety-related symptoms following training compared to pre-treatment. Hypotheses were supported in spite of an initial increase in cognitive anxiety intensity immediately following treatment. Additionally, results suggest that paradoxical-success imagery may be best suited for individuals with trait anxiety and the propensity to interpret anxiety-related symptoms as debilitative to performance. Factors contributing to the effective use of the imagery strategy as well as potential drawbacks are discussed.

January 25, 2010

A Field Test of the Influence of Pre-Game Imagery on Basketball Free Throw Shooting

Phillip G Post, Craig A Wrisberg, Stephen Mullins

Abstract

This field study examined the influence of a pre-game imagery intervention implemented by a high school coach on the free throw shooting performance of his girls' basketball team. The coach conducted a systematic guided imagery exercise prior to half of the team's games over the course of an entire season. The coach employed the intervention with the whole team using a reversal design similar to the replication-reversal design used in some single-subject research (Hume, Martin, Gonzalez, Cracklen, & Genthon, 1985). A 2 x 2 chi-square analysis was used to evaluate the observed and expected frequencies of made and missed free throw shots under the two conditions (imagery and no-imagery). The results revealed a significantly higher than expected number of free throws made in games preceded by the intervention (p < .001). Social validation questionnaires completed by 11 of the 16 players suggested that the players devoted significant attention to the intervention and that they perceived it to be effective.

March 26, 2010

Mental Imagery Research in Physical Education

Nathan D Hall, Graham J Fishburne

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present a framework for researching mental imagery use in school-based physical education. Mental imagery use has been researched quite extensively over the past 50 years in the areas of motor learning and sport psychology. Much has been learned regarding the benefits of using mental imagery to improve learning and performance. This article has drawn parallels between school-based physical education and the areas of sport psychology and motor learning. Based on findings in the areas of motor learning and sport psychology, and the similarities drawn between school-based physical education and these two areas, it could be expected that mental imagery use in school-based physical education has the potential to produce many benefits in learning and performance for both students and teachers. However, to date there has been very little research conducted with regard to mental imagery use and physical education. This article provides a research framework identifying questions that need to be addressed in order to more fully understand the potential imagery use has for both students and teachers in school-based physical education.

April 19, 2010

A Narrative Review of the Relationships among Imagery, Exercise, and Self-Efficacy

Lindsay Ross-Stewart, Sandra E Short, Cheryl A Terrance

Abstract

We all know physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, yet many people still live sedentary lifestyles. It is, therefore, important to develop theoretically based interventions that may serve to increase physical activity and exercise. This narrative review focuses on the relationships among imagery, self-efficacy and exercise, and makes a case for future researchers to investigate the effectiveness of exercise imagery interventions.

July 1, 2010

Associative and Dissociative Imagery Effects on Perceived Exertion and Task Duration

Selen Razon, Itay Basevitch, Edson Filho, William Land, Brooke Thompson, Marie Biermann, Gershon Tenenbaum

Abstract

The study was designed to examine the effects of associative and dissociative imagery interventions on reported ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and task-duration across a handgrip-squeezing task. Sixty adults (Mage = 22.19 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: associative imagery, dissociative imagery, and control (non-imagery). Participants were instructed to perform a 30% maximal handgrip-squeezing task until volitional fatigue. During the squeezing task, RPE and attention allocation were measured every 30 seconds. A series of RM MANOVA procedures revealed that (a) RPE increased linearly across all three groups as a function of increased effort output, (b) as compared to control participants, RPE was lower in participants using either associative or dissociative imagery, and (c) as compared to control participants, participants using either imagery remained longer on task. While the effects of imagery use on RPE and task-duration were descriptively evident, not all effects were significant. Future studies must examine imagery applications for tasks that vary in workload intensities. Findings shed light on interventions that can possibly render exercise experience more pleasant and less exertive for the general population.

September 18, 2010

Mental Practice in the Intermanual Transfer of Motor Skills

Keith R Lohse, Alice F. Healy, David Sherwood

Abstract

The current study compared intermanual transfer for two different handwriting tasks (familiar letters and novel symbols), following both mental and physical practice. There was substantial transfer from practice with the dominant hand to the nondominant one in both time to produce a character and size of the character produced, but there was no transfer in the reverse direction (even for novel symbols). Most importantly, there was significant transfer as a result of mental practice in production time comparable to physical practice. However, there was no transfer from mental practice when measuring character size. During mental practice, task-level variables still had significant effects whereas effector-level variables did not. Thus, asymmetrical transfer as a result of mental practice is posited to result from the transfer of task-level processes but not effector-level processes.

October 21, 2010

The Effects of Physical Practice on a Novel Mental Imagery Task as Measured by Electroencephalography (EEG)

J. Gualberto Cremades, Tamesha M Hilliard, Jennifer I Gapin

Abstract

Studies have shown that the use of mental imagery can improve performance (Mamassis & Doganis, 2004; Martin, Mortitz, & Hall, 1999). However, these studies only use outcome measures to show the benefits of mental imagery/practice. Researchers have not yet examined the underlying cognitive processes of imagery performance as individuals physically learn a new skill. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of physical practice on EEG activity when imagining a dart throwing task. EEG activity from P4, P3, O2, and O1 was recorded from 30 volunteers. Participants were randomly assigned to either a physical practice condition or a non-practice condition. Ten two-second epochs were recorded and analyzed for both the pre-test and post-test. A separate 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (Hemisphere x Sites x Test x Practice) mixed model design was conducted for each EEG frequency band (i.e., lower alpha, upper alpha, lower beta, and upper beta). Results revealed a significant interaction test by practice in the lower alpha band (p > .05). Further, there was a significant interaction test by site (p < .05) in the lower alpha band. Lastly, a significant interaction site by hemisphere was shown in the lower beta band (p < .05). The results suggest that either the task was not complex enough to detect differences or the participants did not have adequate physical practice. In addition, the occipital sites were less involved in attention and effort during the post-test imagery performance while the parietal sites were as involved as the pre-test. The imagery script used for this study emphasized feeling the movement prior to imagery performance, and this may have resulted in the parietal region being activated during the pre- and post-test. However, the occipital region at the left hemisphere was more stimulated than the right hemisphere, suggesting the cognitive processing of imagery instructions.

About this journal

Objective

The Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity is the first peer-reviewed journal devoted to research on the role of imagery in sport, physical activity, exercise, and rehabilitation settings. Imagery, also referred to as cognitive enactment or visualization, is one of the most popular performance enhancement and rehabilitation techniques in sports and physical activity. Journal editor Sandra Moritz (University of North Dakota) is a recognized leader in the field, and the journal’s editorial board represents leading institutions in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. The single destination for all imagery-related research in sports and in physical activity, the Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity is an indispensable tool for scholars and practitioners of imagery, sports science, kinesiology, physical education, and psychology.

Topics

The role of imagery in sport
Physical activity
Exercise
Rehabilitation settings
Sports science
Kinesiology
Physical education
Psychology

Article formats
Original research articles, reviews