Imagery training of motor actions in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Imagery training is well-established in sports, rehabilitation, and work settings. Both classic and recent meta-analyses confirm that it can improve motor performance and promote motor learning in adults. Findings from studies focusing on children and adolescents, however, are ambiguous, and it is not clear whether imagery training has an impact on performance and learning in individuals of younger ages. Given that the potential impact of imagery training in children and adolescents has yet to be determined, we conducted a meta-analysis to extend knowledge on the effectiveness of imagery training in this population. We included imagery training studies investigating healthy children or adolescents at an age of 6–18 and focusing on a motor task, which resulted in 19 studies and 110 effect sizes. Our analysis revealed an overall medium positive effect for imagery training of Cohen’s d = 0.494, 95% CI [0.287, 0.701]. The results demonstrate that imagery training can improve motor performance in children and adolescents. Future research is needed to further differentiate the effects across age, task, or developmental aspects, and to provide more elaborate recommendations for applied settings such as physical education, rehabilitation, or competitive sports.