psychological skills partv2

Question 1

What is Imagery?

Answer 1

• visualisation
• mental rehearsal
• symbolic rehearsal
• covert practice
• mental practice

recreation of experience in the mind
recalling info from memory stored as experiences and shaping them as meaningful images

imagery- A symbolic experience that may occur in any sensory mode’ (Hardy et al 1996)

involves as many senses as possible- knnesthesis/auditory/visual/olfactory

Question 2

evidence of effectiveness of imagery

Answer 2

Murphy et al 1990- 100% of athletes used imagery
97% believed it helped
84% Olympic coaches used in training
20% all of the time

Murphy (1994)- elite athletes more proficient in using imagery

Orlick and Partington 1988- 99% of 235 elite athletes reported vivid use of imagery

Feltz and landers- beneficial effects of imagery greater for cognitive rather than physical tasks

Imagery is used in a wide range of contexts (Vealey and Greenleaf 2010)

Question 3

Meta analysis- recent study on imagery

Answer 3

Simonsmeier et al., 2020
-significant enhancement of motor performance, motivation, and effective outcomes
imagery and physical practice more effective than physical practice alone- suggesting differential aspects
- there appears to be a dose response- the more you do the better performance

However- this study shows there are still moderating factors (imagery type, ability, and skill level)

Question 4

When is imagery used

Answer 4

Athletes report using imagery more before than during and after

Hall 2011- says we use imagery before/during/after

• it should be used in injruy rehabilitation- focus on motivation rather than rehearsal of imager

Question 5

why do athletes use imagery

Answer 5

CONTENT- relates to what the person images/ muscles feeling loose

FUNCTION- refers to why they want to do imagery/ To feel relaxed?
There are 2 broad functions (Pavio 1985)- cognitive and motivational

so athletes become more open with uncomfortable situations- e.g. tell them to practice whilst imagining a angry crowd / imagine you are playing to win the title

Question 6

sports imagery model

Answer 6

two types- motivational and cognitive
but can also be general or specific.

Motivation and specific= goal orientated- e.g. i imagine myself winning a medal

specific and cognitive= motor skills- i can mentally make corrections to physical skills

cognitive general- game plans/ strategies- i imagine alternative ways to beat my opponent

motivational and general- arousal/mastery- i imagine the stress and anxiety associated with competition

so imagery can improve motivation and cognition
there are many types of imagery

Question 7

positiove and negative reports of imagery

Answer 7

positive- most often reported during practices and pre competition

negative- most often reported during competition

Question 8

imagery and perspective

Answer 8

can be internal (execution of a skill from your own vantage point) or external (view from the perspective of an outside behaviour)

Mahoney and Avener 1977- found it depends on the athlete and the situation if they prefer internal or external imagery- Found elite athletes prefer internal.

also found task differences may influence imagery perspective- e.g. a footballer would use a different perspective than a golfer

Question 9

factors affecting imagery

Answer 9

nature of the task
skill level of performer
imaging ability
using imagery with physical practice

Question 10

how does imagery work?

Answer 10

• we can generate information from memory that is essentially the same as an actual experience
• imaging events can have an affect in our nervous system similar to that of the real world experience

Question 11

Psycho-neuromuscular theory to imagery

Answer 11

imagery produces similar neuromuscular activity to the actual movement

Jacobsom 1931- imagined arm movements produced small muscular contractions

Suinn 1976- EMG activity greatest when imaging skiing over rough sections of a course

however-Slade et al 2002- EEG does not replicate exact neural pattern of activity- imaging is not a substitute to practice!

• also is this muscle contraction actually specific to muscle that would be used to perform the skill
• this thoery predicts imagery would beneficial physical skills more tha cognitive but this is not supported through findings

Question 12

Symbolic learning theory of imagery- Sackett 1934

Answer 12

• propose that imagery generates and strengthens a ‘mental blueprint’ of the required action
• enables rehearsal of cognitive aspects of a skill such as strategies or decision making

evidence- beneficial effetc of mental practice are greater for cognitive than motor tasks- evidence shows it is more beneficial for cognitive skills which supports this theory
- similar neuronal pathways in decision making - when imagining cognitive aspects the neural pathways are more similar when you actually do it in competition

Question 13

Bio- informational theory- Lang 177-1979

Answer 13

-image is a functionally organised set of propositions stored in the brain- theory says we need to look at the whole environment in order to image properly

• stimulus propositions- content of the scene to be imagined e.g. in a penalty kick u cant just imagine where to place the ball but you have to think about the crowd, the keeper, your players for example.
• response propositions- verbal, motor, physiological, emotional responses to the scene

Cumming et al 2007- imagery instructions that include response propositions generate stronger responses

Question 14

imagery training-

Answer 14

should be rehearsed as part of daily routine
- must be tailored to needs of each athlete
-
PETTLEP- Holmes and Collins 2001-
Physical nature of the movement
Environment - specifics of environment
Type of Task
Timing of movement
Learning content of movement'
Emotion of movement
Perspective of person