Imagery (Mental Practice)

1. Imagery (Mental Practice) • Imagery helpful for improving memory and attentional skills • Cognitive rehearsal of a physical skill in the absence of overt physical movement • Visualization - too simplistic • Focuses more on overall performance, more multi-sensory

2. Uses of Imagery • Potential uses? • No practice vs. mental practice vs. physical practice • Feltz & Landers (1994) meta-analysis • found greater effect sizes for imagery tasks with higher cognitive demands

3. Internal vs. External Imagery • Imagery example • Internal vs. External • Which is preferable? • Internal = more kinesthetic information • External = more visual • Preference of elite athletes?

4. Why does mental practice work? • Neuromuscular Theory • Develop a strong memory representation of the task • Strengthen neural pathways • better for lower skilled--more pathways to strengthen • Not as effective for more complex tasks • Suinn study

5. Why does mental practice work? • Cognitive/Symbolic Learning • Know “what to do” • Code cognitive aspects of movement patterns • Use imagery to produce cues that would be seen in actual practice or competition • More efficient with more elite performers--why?

6. Mastery vs. Coping Imagery • Mastery = images of success, demonstrating competence • Coping = images of failure, stress, circumstances not ideal, etc. • Why would that be important?

7. Implications for Interventions • Imagery is a skill; must be practiced • Inclusion of sensory information • Use of relaxation prior to imagery • May be used to enhance memory of skill performance

8. Psychology of Injury October 22, 2002

9. Importance of Injury as a Topic

10. Importance • 3-5 million (1993) to 17 million per year (1998) • Medical advances, but not psychological advances • Larson (1996) study of 482 AT’s

11. Importance of Injury • Psychological variables that may influence injury • Potential role of sport psychology to facilitate recovery • Certain factors may be instrumental in prediction of injury--> prolong rehab-->subsequent performance/emotional problems

12. Model of Stress

13. Stressors • Stress history contributes to the stress response directly • Personality variables & coping may directly affect, or affect through the stress response

14. Stress Response • Mechanisms that increase during stress • High stress, personality traits that exacerbate stress response or few coping resources will have a different appraisal--> greater risk for injury

15. Personality Variables Related to Onset of Injury • Risk-taking • Anxiety

16. Situational Variables Related to Onset of Injury • Major & Minor Life Stresses (Stress History) • Coping Resources

17. Effects of Injury • Loss of social support system (sports in particular?) • Uncertainty about immediate future (circular relationship) • Loss of confidence (circular again) • Athletic identity (at high risk at retirement) if involuntary, higher risk. Thanatology

18. Psychological Response to Injury & Rehabilitation • Wiese-Bjornstal et al. (1998): Integrated model of psychological response to teh sport injury and rehabilitation process • Personal factors, Situational factors affect cognitive appraisal, behavioral response, and emotional response, which affect recovery outcomes

19. Integrated Model • Personal factors • Situational factors

20. Integrated Model • Core of model = arrows • Dynamic process • Cognitive appraisal should affect emotional responses, which will influence behavioral response • Why are there arrows going in a counterclockwise direction?