Imagery and the acquisition of motor skills.

This paper examines the relationship between imagery and the acquisition of motor skills. Since most of the research in the motor domain has considered imagery under the topic of mental practice, a comparison between imagery and mental practice is first drawn. Then the basic mental practice paradigm is outlined and research on the effects of imagery is summarized. Factors influencing the use of imagery are considered, including the task, the imagery instructions, and individual imagery abilities. Implications for employing imagery in the teaching of motor skills are discussed and, finally, an approach to studying imagery and motor skills is put forward.