Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence that mental imagery rehearsal plays in cognitive symbolic tasks. Previous literature has revealed that mental imagery rehearsal can enhance skills; however, the literature conflicts regarding what type of skill (cognitive or motor) is best enhanced by mental imagery and in what context does it work. Mental imagery is used in a variety of contexts, specifically in clinical settings to enhance recovery or development. In the current study, participants were asked to complete a paper maze and then instructed to complete different sets of daily practice tasks, depending upon the group to which they were randomly assigned. After 7 days, participants completed a maze once more. They were measured by latency (time to completion) and errors. The results of a two-by-four mixed-design ANOVA indicated no relationship between mental rehearsal, physical practice, or the control group. While the differences were not statistically significant, there were small to moderate effect sizes indicating mental imagery did enhance performance. These results help us better understand the effects of mental imagery rehearsal and possible interventions and research needs going forward.
Included in
The Effects of Mental Imagery Rehearsal on the Performance of Mazes
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence that mental imagery rehearsal plays in cognitive symbolic tasks. Previous literature has revealed that mental imagery rehearsal can enhance skills; however, the literature conflicts regarding what type of skill (cognitive or motor) is best enhanced by mental imagery and in what context does it work. Mental imagery is used in a variety of contexts, specifically in clinical settings to enhance recovery or development. In the current study, participants were asked to complete a paper maze and then instructed to complete different sets of daily practice tasks, depending upon the group to which they were randomly assigned. After 7 days, participants completed a maze once more. They were measured by latency (time to completion) and errors. The results of a two-by-four mixed-design ANOVA indicated no relationship between mental rehearsal, physical practice, or the control group. While the differences were not statistically significant, there were small to moderate effect sizes indicating mental imagery did enhance performance. These results help us better understand the effects of mental imagery rehearsal and possible interventions and research needs going forward.