Mental Practice (L20)

Question 1

what is mental practice(motor imagery)?

Answer 1

the mental/cognitive rehearsal of a physical skill in the absence of overt physical movements

Question 2

what are the 2 roles of imagery?

Answer 2

1. Practice strategy to aid acquisition of motor skills (Learning)
   *e.g. Person with stroke re-learning how to walk
2. Preparation to perform a well-learned skill (Preparing)
   *e.g. Olympic diver going through routine before starting

Question 3

visual vs kinsthetic imagery

Answer 3

Visual imagery:
“form a clear and
vivid mental image
of the movement”

Kinesthetic imagery:
“attempt to feel yourself
making the movement
without actually doing it”

Question 4

internal vs external imagery

Answer 4

internal: 1st person view
external: 3rd person view

Question 5

Studying the effects of mental practice on
skill acquisition
Researchers typically compare the following4:

Answer 5

1. Physical practice only
2. Mental practice only
3. Combination of physical and mental practice
4. No practice

Question 6

3 ways in which Mental practice aids motor skill acquisition

Answer 6

1. Physical practice is the most effective way to improve performance
2. Mental practice is better than no practice
3. Use mental practice to supplement physical practice

Question 7

Why use mental practice to supplement physical practice:

Answer 7

*After injury, allows treatments to begin early, e.g. when little
or no physical movements are possible
*Is inexpensive
*Performed anywhere
*No safety risks

Question 8

Distributed mental practice leads to better stroke
recovery outcomes than massed mental practice

Answer 8

Physical practice (30 minutes/day) supplemented by mental
practice (rehearsed a functional arm movement):
*Distributed mental practice: 20 minutes, 3 times/day
*Massed mental practice: 60 minutes all at once

Question 9

what is Imagery ability

Answer 9

*Effectiveness of imagery is based on people’s ability to visually
or kinesthetically imagine physical movement
*Some people have great difficulty imagining a described action
*Use movement imagery questionnaire

Question 10

Aphantasia

Answer 10

inability to visualize things in the mind

Question 11

How can you know that someone is
mentally practicing?

Answer 11

Mental chronometry:
*A method that measures how long it takes to mentally perform task
*Compare the imagined time to the actual time required to physically perform task
*If someone is truly engaged in mental practice, the imagined time should be close to the performed time.

Question 12

Why is mental practice effective? (3 hypothesis)

Answer 12

1. Cognitive hypothesis
   *In early learning: useful for people acquiring new skills or re-learning
   skills; figure out ”what to do” (recall: cognitive stage of Fitts’ and Posner)
   *i.e. learn the global goal of task, but not motor elements
2. Neuromotor hypothesis
   *Similar muscles are active during physical and mental practice
   *Small muscle forces insufficient to produce movement; performer receives proprioceptive feedback from Golgi tendon organs
   *Small muscle forces ‘prime’ neuromotor pathway
3. Brain Activity hypothesis
   *Similar brain regions are active during physical and mental practice
   (“functional equivalence”); strengthens neural networks relevant for skill
   *Actions are programmed but inhibited from being executed

Question 13

what part of the brain is active in
both physical and mental practice

Answer 13

motor cortex