Volume 20, Issue 1

Objectives In the backdrop of heightened anxiety, stress, and compromised motor performance among athletes post-COVID-19, this study delves into the efficacy of functional imagery training (FIT) compared to motor imagery in bolstering reaction time, emotion regulation, anxiety, and stress levels in professional female handball players. Methods Thirty-six female athletes experiencing post-pandemic motor function reduction were randomly assigned to FIT, motor imagery training, or a control group undergoing physical training alone. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and a 12-week follow-up. Results Results revealed reductions in emotion dysregulation, anxiety symptoms, and perceived stress across all groups over time. Moreover, both imagery groups exhibited significant enhancements in reaction time compared to the control group, with the FIT cohort displaying superior outcomes compared to motor imagery. Conclusions These findings highlight FIT potential as a valuable psychological intervention for athletes navigating the challenges of the post-COVID-19 era, advocating for its integration alongside conventional treatments to foster resilience and well-being amidst pandemic-induced stressors.

Objectives Promoting physical activity is crucial for reducing disease risk and improving overall health. This study targeted minimally active individuals aged 45 and older. It aimed to inform the design of effective digital tools for promoting physical activity by exploring their perspectives on two prototype future-self interventions: a mental imagery and an avatar-based approach. Methods Three online focus groups (n=10, age range 47–70) were conducted to assess the comprehensibility, acceptability, anticipated effectiveness and preferred formatting of both prototypes. Results The prototype for both interventions was deemed comprehensible, but the mental imagery approach was found more appealing and anticipated to be more effective in encouraging physical activity. Participants highlighted the importance of user-friendly, visually engaging, and customizable features in the intervention. Conclusions Based on the insights, we recommend prioritizing mental imagery future-self interventions with clear default settings – such as future-self task order – while allowing for personalization to optimize user engagement and effectiveness. Findings from this study provide actionable guidance for developing digital physical activity interventions tailored to minimally active middle-aged to older adults.

Objectives In order to harness the benefits of mental practice training for enhancing mobility in the older adults. Assessing an individual’s motor imagery ability is essential for selecting the most appropriate motor learning approach. Consequently, there is a need for reliable motor imagery assessment tools designed specifically for older adults. The Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ) measures, on a five-point ordinal scale, the clarity of mental images (visual: V subscale) and the intensity of sensations (kinesthetic: K subscale) that individuals can envision from a first-person perspective. This study aimed to 1) develop a translated and culturally adapted Thai version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ-T), and 2) evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale within the elderly population. Methods We adhered to the guidelines outlined by Beaton, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine 2000;25. Initially, two translators (one informed and one uninformed) translated the questionnaires. Subsequently, the translations were synthesized and resolved. Following that, back translation was conducted by two translators proficient in both Thai and English, who lacked expertise in imagery. Finally, a consensus on the pre-final version of KVIQ-T was reached by five experts. Reliability was examined for internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The factor analysis was used for assessing the structural validity. Participants aged 60–75 years, capable of independent walking for over 10 m, without severe cognitive impairment or severe depression, were included. Exclusion criteria comprised neurological diseases, orthopedic injuries affecting balance, and vision function issues. Seventy participants participants aged 66.38 ± 3.80 years (min=60, max=75), %male 20.5, BMI 24.50 ± 3.50 kg/m 2 were asked to complete Thai version of Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire. The statistical analysis indicated that the internal consistency reliability, as measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was 0.970 for the visual subscale and 0.974 for the kinesthetic subscale. The factor analysis validated the bifactorial structure of the KVIQ-T and delineated two factors that distinctly differentiate between the visual and kinesthetic subscales, exhibiting a correlation of r=0.674. Factor 1 accounts for 68.906 % and Factor 2 accounts for 12.193 % of the total variance. Conclusions The KVIQ-T is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating motor imagery capabilities within the Thai older population.

Objectives The current study tested whether the closed eyes guided by imagery is affected by the focus of attention similarly to visually guided action. Motor performance is typically enhanced when participants use an external focus of attention directed to the goal of the action, instead of an internal focus on the motor elements of the action itself. I tested whether such enhancements are also found when participants controlled their action using imagery by executing actions without visual feedback. Methods In Experiment 1, participants drew a straight line with the eyes closed on a graphics tablet, focusing either on (1) a mental image of the goal landmark (external focus of attention), (2) a mental image of their fingers relative to a straight line (internal focus of attention), or (3) without a specific instruction. In Experiment 2, participants threw darts blindly at a dartboard. Their attentional focus was again either directed externally or internally, in addition to a control condition without instruction. Results Of the experiments revealed an advantage of image representations in motor control. External focus of attention, over both an internal focus and no specific focus of attention, similar to what is usually found during eyes-open performance. Conclusions Of these results reveal that imagery-guided closed eyes relies on similar mental processes as actual performance and point to a direct role.

Objectives An athlete’s ability to buffer against negative effects of stressors has been attributed to their level of psychological resilience. Protective factors, specifically confidence, influences the development of resilience qualities. Moreover, utilizing mental skills (i.e., imagery) is beneficial for developing confidence and increasing levels of resilience-related outcomes. With confidence relevant in both resilience and imagery concepts, the purpose of the proposed study is to investigate relationships between imagery and psychological resilience in athletes and determine if this relationship is mediated by sport confidence. Methods A sample of 243 student athletes (M age = 21.27) competing at the varsity or club level completed questionnaires measuring psychological resilience, imagery use, and sport confidence. Results Results from bivariate correlations indicated that psychological resilience is related to all functions of imagery, save motivational specific, with the strongest relationship occurring between resilience and motivational general-mastery imagery. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was run on the Sport Imagery Questionnaire and Sport Confidence Inventory measurement models to ensure adequate model fit. As the CFA informed the revised measurement models for the Structural Equation Model (SEM), results indicated that sport confidence did not mediate the relationship between imagery and psychological resilience, as no indirect or total effects were significant. Conclusions Researchers should look to further examine the relationships between imagery and psychological resilience and consider other variables, such as coping and challenge appraisal, that could impact the strength of that relationship.

Objectives Intending to facilitate learning from narrated tactical diagrams, this study investigates how drawing influences the memorization of soccer scenes given individuals’ visuospatial abilities (VSA). Methods Fifty-four male university students, all novices in soccer domain were randomly assigned to two groups. First group, without-drawing, viewed a pre-drawn diagram while listening to a concurrent oral explanation. Second group, with-drawing, listened to the same description while observing the coach simultaneously drawing the diagram. All participants conducted a control test to assess their VSA level and completed the main test, which included rating their overall mental effort and recalling/reconstructing the tactical scene. Results The principal results indicate an interaction between VSA and drawing: individuals with high-VSA particularly benefited better from the with-drawing condition, while those with low-VSA did not, thereby confirming the ability-as-enhancer hypothesis. Conclusions Overall, this study underscores the importance of aligning the choice of drawing formats with individual characteristics, especially VSA, to enhance memorization from narrated tactical diagrams.

Objectives This study aimed to compare the effects of imagery training and mindfulness meditation training on competitive anxiety and heart rate variability in university athletes in Chiangrai, Thailand. Methods 30 university athletes were randomly allocated into three groups: imagery training group, mindfulness meditation training group and control group. The participants in the training group were assigned to attend imagery or mindfulness meditation training for 30 min, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The control group participants received a brochure containing relaxation techniques for stress reduction. Before, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks, the heart rate variability was assessed, and a Thai version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2R (CSAI-2R), including somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, and self-confidence subscale, was completed by the participants. We performed two-way repeated measure ANOVA tests to determine the interaction effect of group by time. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05, and Bonferroni-correction post hoc tests was used for multiple comparisons. Results The results revealed that a significant group-time interaction effect of cognitive state anxiety was found in the mindfulness meditation group (p<0.05). Post hoc analysis with Bonferroni-correction adjustment revealed that the cognitive state anxiety in the mindfulness meditation group significantly decreased after 8 weeks of training. Additionally, after 8 weeks of training, the cognitive state anxiety in the mindfulness meditation group was significantly lower than that in the control group. However, there was no significant group-time interaction for somatic state anxiety, self-confidence, or heart rate variability after training. Additionally, both mindfulness meditation and imagery groups showed trends to improve HRV, self-confidence, and decrease somatic state anxiety. Conclusions In conclusion, the results obtained here clearly show that the university athletes benefit from 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation training, which reduces cognitive state anxiety.

Objective To examine the temporal dynamics of kinesthetic responses and accompanying physiological changes during imagery training. Methods Three athletes- a cricket batsman, a rowing-single scull rower and a football midfielder- participated in individualised motivational-specific and cognitive-specific imagery intervention that matched the requirements of their particular sports. The researchers recorded the timing of the kinesthetic responses and the accompanying heart rate (HR) and respiration rate (RR). Results During motivation-specific imagery (MS), kinaesthetic responses occurred between 4:00 to 6:59 min in the cricketer, (HR range=72–82 beats/min; RR range=13–14 breaths/min) and between 1:00 to 1:59 min in the rower, (HR range=92–104 beats/min; RR range=11–15 breaths/min) and between 0:01 to 1:59 min in the footballer (HR range=68–74 beats/min; RR range=12–16 breaths/min). During cognitive-specific imagery (CS), kinesthetic responses occurred between 2:00 to 5:59 min in the cricketer, (HR range=78–86 beats/min; RR range= 09–16 breaths/min); between 1:00 to 1:59 min in the rower, (HR range=79–80 beats/min; RR range=13–14 breaths/min) and between 1:00 to 1:59 minutes in the footballer (HR range=78–82 beats/min; RR = 17 breaths/min). Conclusion The kinesthetic responses observed during imagery training suggest how the neural networks are activated similar to the actual performance. The temporal dynamics and physiological responses differed depending on the task of their sports. The findings suggest incorporating imagery training in coaching can strengthen neural connections and facilitate effective task executions.