Does Imagery Facilitate a Reduction in Movement Variability in a Targeting Task?

Abstract

It is widely accepted that imagery is an effective strategy for improving skilled performance, motivation and rehabilitation of sports injuries. Previous empirical studies showed that the decrease in variability contributed to a consistency of movement which led to performance improvement. However, there are no studies examining the role of visual imagery in movement variability during target aiming task. Thus, the objective of this study was to discover the possible moderating role of imagery on movement variability at the starting point of a target aiming task. It was hypothesized that visual imagery perspectives would induce a significantly more consistent movement pattern than a control group. Thirty-six participants that passed the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2 for imagery ability screening were randomly assigned to three groups; External Visual Imagery (EVI), Internal Visual Imagery (IVI) and a control group. In a seated position, with their elbow bent at 90 degrees, participants performed a no-vision pullback aiming task on a sliding track. The movement was tracked by an 8 camera 3D motion capture system. Both imagery groups received the relevant imagery script between blocks from the second block onwards, while the control group answered a set of math questions during the break. A two-way Mixed ANOVA was conducted to examine the main effect and interaction for the dependent variable (p<.05). Movement variability was not significantly different between external visual imagery, internal visual imagery, and the control group. However, there was a visible reduction in variability. The results of this study suggest that imagery does not give a direct effect on the consistency of the movement patterns in a repeated task. Instead, the increase in consistency of movement possibly stems from the learning effect of continuous practice.