Differences In Imagery Ability Research Articles

Imagery ability of elite level athletes from individual vs. team and contact vs. no-contact sports.

BackgroundIn the sport context, imagery has been described as the condition in which persons imagine themselves while executing skills to deal with the upcoming task or enhance performance. Systematic reviews have shown that mental imagery improves performance in motor tasksMethodsThe aim of the present study was to explore whether imagery vividness (i.e., the clarity or realism of the imagery experience) and controllability (i.e., the ease and accuracy with which an image can be manipulated mentally) differ by sport types (team vs. individual and contact vs. non-contact). Participants were athletes from team contact and non-contact sports (rugby and volleyball, respectively), and individual contact and non-contact sports (karate and tennis, respectively) between the ages of 20 and 33 years (M = 24.37, SD = 2.85). The participants completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2, and the Mental Image Transformation Tasks.ResultsA 2 ×2 × 2 (gender × 2 contact-no-contact × 2 sport type) between groups MANOVA showed differences in imagery ability by sport type. Practical indications deriving from the findings of this study can help coaches and athletes to develop mental preparation programs using sport-specific imagery.

The format of mental imagery: from a critical review to an integrated embodied representation approach.

The issue of the format of mental imagery is still an open debate. The classical analogue (depictive)-propositional (descriptive) debate has not provided definitive conclusions. Over the years, the debate has shifted within the frame of the embodied cognition approach, which focuses on the interdependence of perception, cognition and action. Although the simulation approach still retains the concept of representation, the more radical line of the embodied cognition approach emphasizes the importance of action and clearly disregards the concept of representation. In particular, the enactive approach focuses on motor procedures that allow the body to interact with the environment, whereas the sensorimotor approach focuses on the possession and exercise of sensorimotor knowledge about how the sensory input changes as a function of movement. In this review, the embodied approaches are presented and critically discussed. Then, in an attempt to show that the format of mental imagery varies according to the ability and the strategy used to represent information, the role of individual differences in imagery ability (e.g., vividness and expertise) and imagery strategy (e.g., object vs. spatial imagers) is reviewed. Since vividness is mainly associated with perceptual information, reflecting the activation level of specific imagery systems, whereas the preferred strategy used is mainly associated with perceptual (e.g., object imagery) or amodal and motor information (e.g., spatial imagery), the format of mental imagery appears to be based on dynamic embodied representations, depending on imagery abilities and imagery strategies.

Individual Differences in Imagery Ability and Cognition

Individual Differences in Imagery Ability and Cognition

Reducing involuntary memory by interfering consolidation of stressful auditory information: A pilot study

Background and objectivesIntrusive emotional memories were induced by aversive auditory stimuli and modulated with cognitive tasks performed post-encoding (i.e., during consolidation). MethodA between-subjects design was used with four conditions; three consolidation-interference tasks (a visuospatial and two verbal interference tasks) and a no-task control condition. Forty-one participants listened to a soundtrack depicting traumatic scenes (e.g., police brutality, torture and rape). Immediately after listening to the soundtrack, the subjects completed a randomly assigned task for 10 min. Intrusions from the soundtrack were reported in a diary during the following seven-day period. ResultsIn line with a modality-specific approach to intrusion modulation, auditory intrusions were reduced by verbal tasks compared to both a no-task and a visuospatial interference task.. LimitationsThe study did not control for individual differences in imagery ability which may be a feature in intrusion development. ConclusionsThe results provide an increased understanding of how intrusive mental images can be modulated which may have implications for preventive treatment..

Vividness and transformation of mental images in karate and ballet.

While imagery research has become popular in recent years, little research has specifically investigated differences in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the type of task, open or closed, affects vividness and controllability differently. Thirty female classic dancers (closed skill), 30 female karate athletes (open skill), and 30 female non-athlete students, between 14 and 20 years of age (M = 17.0, SD = 1.6), participated. They completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, and the Subtraction of Parts Task. There was no difference in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport groups. Furthermore, dancers and karatekas had higher mean scores on imagery ability than the non-athlete group. A positive correlation was observed between the two questionnaires, supporting findings on the componential basis of imagery. This study contributed to increase the research in the specific area of open- and closed-skill sports and imagery ability.

Measuring Athlete Imagery Ability: The Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire

This research aimed to develop and provide initial validation of the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire (SIAQ). The SIAQ assesses athletes' ease of imaging different types of imagery content. Following an extensive pilot study, 375 athletes completed a 20-item SIAQ in Study 1. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 4-factor model assessing skill, strategy, goal, and affect imagery ability. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) established this 4-factor structure in Study 2 (N = 363 athletes). In Study 3 (N = 438 athletes), additional items were added to create a fifth mastery imagery subscale that was confirmed through CFA. Study 4 (N = 220 athletes) compared the SIAQ to the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3. Significant bivariate correlations (p < .05) confirmed the SIAQ's concurrent validity but demonstrated differences in imagery ability of different content. Overall, the SIAQ demonstrates good factorial validity, internal and temporal reliability, invariance across gender, and an ability to distinguish among athletes of different competitive levels. Findings highlight the importance of separately assessing imagery ability of different content.

Imagery research: An investigation of three issues

Objective The objective of the present study was to investigate three issues in imagery research: how imagery perspective preference may relate to imagery ability; the angle of external visual imagery usage; and the order of visual and kinesthetic imagery experience. Methods One hundred and fifty nine athletes ( M age = 19.60, SD = 2.67 years) completed an adapted version of the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire – 2 ( Roberts, Callow, Hardy, Markland, & Bringer, 2008). Results Significant but small correlations between imagery perspective preference and imagery perspective ability were revealed. With reference to angle, athletes reported imaging from a variety of external angles. However, angle of external visual imagery did not relate to differences in imagery ability. In terms of the order of visual and kinesthetic imagery, regardless of visual imagery perspective, athletes’ experienced visual and kinesthetic imagery concurrently most often. Conclusions The results are discussed in terms of the importance of taking imagery preference into account when designing imagery studies. Further, future research directions are proposed in relation to exploring angle of external visual imagery and order of visual and kinesthetic imagery.

The role of visual imagery in the enhanced cognitive interview: guided questioning techniques and individual differences

AbstractThe cognitive interview utilises mnemonics and other techniques to facilitate obtaining information from victims and witnesses. Research has indicated superior recall to standard police interviews. However, there has been minimal research regarding the role of individual differences. One area that has generated spirited theoretical debate is imagery ability, as guided imagery questioning is an important part of the enhanced cognitive interview. Imagery is also arguably an integral part of several mnemonics employed in the technique. The present study investigated the role of individual differences in imagery ability, as well as the effect of explicit instructions to image, on recall performance. Participants completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ), witnessed a film of a simulated crime, and were interviewed using the cognitive interview or a structured interview. While recall in the cognitive interview was superior, VVIQ scores had little relationship with recall of information. Further, recall elicited by guided imagery differed only minimally from that obtained using standard questioning in the structured interview. These results suggested that the relaxation and rapport building common to questioning in both interview conditions may evoke spontaneous imagery that is comparable to explicit instructions to image, regardless of individuals' inherent imagery ability. Future directions are discussed, including research focused on individual differences and a practical emphasis on context reinstatement and social facilitative techniques. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Large-Scale Demonstration Experiment of Mental Imagery Ability

The present article describes a demonstration experiment used in a large introductory psychology class pertaining to mental imagery ability. The experiment is effective in providing a concrete instance of mental imagery as well as an effective discussion regarding individual differences and gender differences in imagery ability.

Age Differences in Imagery Abilities

Age Differences in Imagery Abilities

Age Differences in Imagery Abilities

Age differences were examined in 4 aspects of visual mental imagery, namely, image generation, maintenance, scanning, and rotation. The results suggested that one or more distinct processes are used to carry out each aspect of imagery, and that this is true for 5-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 14-year-olds, and adults. There was no evidence that younger children have fewer processing components, which become differentiated into more specialized subsystems over age. In addition, the results suggested that younger children are relatively poor at scanning, rotating, and generating objects in images, but are relatively good at maintaining images.

Individual differences in imagery and the psychophysiology of emotion

Abstract The experiment examined the relationship between individual differences in imagery ability and physiological activity during affective and non-affective imagery. Self-described good and poor imagers were assessed before and after a training procedure which encouraged somatovisceral involvement in imagery. The two groups of imagers were indistinguishable on a variety of personality measures, including general intelligence, social desirability bias, and report of somatic or visceral anxiety. Picture-memory recall performance also failed to differentiate the two groups. In contrast, imagery of standard affective and action-oriented scripts produced significantly greater physiological activity for good imagers than for poor imagers, particularly after training. For good imagers, pattern of physiological activity vaned with content of imagery script (action, fear, and anger), suggesting that training amplified intrinsic, emotion-specific response dispositions. Whereas poor imagers were generally unres...

Individual differences in imagery ability and Pavlovian heart rate decelerative conditioning.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the role of imagery ability in Pavlovian HR decelerative conditioning with a head‐up to head‐down body tilt as the US. From imagery theories of conditioning (e.g., King, 1973), it was hypothesized that the CR of subjects with good imagery abilities should be more similar to the UR than the CR of subjects with poor imagery abilities. The Betts QMI was used to select 32 subjects for their imagery ability. All subjects were treated identically during the course of the experimental session. Following 10 CS‐US acquisition trials, the HR CR was assessed on a second‐by‐second basis during 9 CS‐alone test trials. The data provided support for the hypothesis: the form of the CR was significantly different for the two groups. The CR of the good imagers remained below baseline for 10 sec (the duration of the actual tilt‐US) while the CR of poor imagers returned to baseline within that period although the average magnitude of the CR for good and poor imagers did not differ. Implications of these data for human Pavlovian HR conditioning and applied (e.g., desensitization) psychophysiological research are discussed.

Vividness of memory imagery and self-induced mood change.

Previous research has shown that people who can voluntarily form vivid images are able to exert more control over some of their cognitive and affective functions than people who can voluntarily form only weak images. This study was designed to extend this line of research to the control of mood states. From a sample of first-year psychology students four groups were formed: vivid imagery/elated, vivid imagery/depressed, weak imagery/elated, weak imagery/depressed. Mood change induction procedures were employed in an attempt to produce reversals in the initial mood states. It was found that greater changes occurred for the vivid imagers than for the weak imagers. These results were discussed in relation to the differential effectiveness of the mood induction procedures, the problem of measuring mood and the importance of taking into account individual differences in imagery abilities when planning imagery based treatment.

Imagery and Pavlovian Heart Rate Decelerative Conditioning

ABSTRACTThe present experiment was designed to investigate the role of US‐imagery in Pavlovian heart rate(HR) decelerative conditioning with a head‐up to head‐down body tilt as the unconditional stimulus (US). From imagery theories of Pavlovian conditioning (e.g., King, 1973), it was hypothesized that the nature (content) of the imagery instructions would affect the conditional response (CR). Two groups of 20 subjects were employed: an Experimental (CS‐US) group and a Control (US‐CS) group. Half the subjects in each group were instructed to imagine the tilt‐US whenever the CS was presented (Relevant Imagery condition); the remaining subjects were instructed to imagine a car‐ride whenever the CS was presented (Irrelevant Imagery condition). The HR CR was assessed on a second‐by‐second basis during CS‐alone lest trials.The results of the experiment supported the hypothesis: despite an identical CS‐US contingency, only the Experimental/Relevant Imagery group (as opposed to the Experimental/Irrelevant Imagery group) demonstrated a marked, monophasic decelerative CR to the CS relative to control groups. Differences in imagery ability, instructed‐imagery vividness ratings, and US‐awareness ratings could not account for the data. The significance and implications of these findings are discussed in relation to stimulus substitution (S‐R) and cognitive (S‐S) theories of conditioning.

Imagery ability and the identification of hands: A chronometric analysis

In a replication of Cooper and Shepard's (1975) study of hand recognition, it was found that individual differences in imagery ability had a significant influence on reaction times to such stimuli (Experiment 1). However, it was found (Experiment 2) that individual difference effects were only seen if prior instructions to use imagery were given to the subjects.