Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sport psychology; Kinaesthetic imagery'

This thesis is written as a collection of research papers through which the cognitive and motivational effects of imagery on sports performance were investigated. A number of research methodologies, ranging from a quasi-experimental design to a multiple-baseline across participants design, were employed to explore the effects of imagery. The first section of this thesis explored the cognitive effects of imagery. Specifically, study I examined the effects of different visual imagery perspectives and kinaesthetic imagery on the acquisition and retention of a simple gymnastics routine. External visual imagery was shown to have superior effects over internal visual imagery for this form-based task. A significant interaction was found in the retention phase; however, follow up tests failed to clarify the nature of the interaction. Study 2 and study 3 further investigated the imagery perspective issue by exploring the strength of relationship between external visual imagery and kinaesthetic imagery, and between internal visual imagery and kinaestlictic imagery. Results indicated that when the participant is the object of the image, kinaesthetic imagery has a greater association with external visual imagery than with internal visual imagery. However, because the tasks that participants imaged were essentially form-based, the results may not generalise to other types of tasks. The second section of the thesis examined the motivational effects of imagery. Study 4 employed a multiple-baseline across participants design to establish the effect of a mastery imagery intervention on sport confidence. Consistent with Paivio's (1985) proposals, the results suggested that imagery has a motivational function as the imagery intervention was found to increase confidence. Study 5 further considered the imagery confidence relationship and two factors which may moderate this relationship, that is skill level and sport-type. The results suggest that in team sport players the type of imagery associated with confidence depends on the skill level of the player.

Almost every athlete will experience at least one sport related injury (SRI) during his or her career in sport. Because of these injuries, there is often a period of time that the athlete is removed from play and forced to complete a rehabilitation program. In order to enhance this rehabilitation process, researchers have investigated various mental skills used by athletes to enhance their recovery process. Two of the areas that research has reviewed in terms of injury rehabilitation have been imagery and self-efficacy. However, there is a lack of research in which an imagery education intervention has been implemented to see how athletes in a rehabilitation program respond in terms of their imagery use, levels of self-efficacy, and speed of recovery. Therefore, this study investigated the use of an imagery education program, and its effect on athletes' imagery use, self-efficacy and rehabilitation time. This was done through the use of the Athletic Injury Imagery Questionnaire-2 (AIIQ-2) and the Athletic Injury Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AISEQ). Due to a high attrition rate in participation, inferential statistics were not able to be conducted in order to truly assess the effectiveness of the imagery education program. However, other conclusions were drawn based on the completion rates and various variables that may have affected those rates. The study found that female, freshman were most likely to complete the entire study, while male juniors were least likely to complete the requirements of the study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate imagery procedures used by visually impaired athletes prior to and during competition. Individual in depth interviews were conducted with 15 visually impaired goal ball players, competing at a national level. The results indicate that regardless of the degree of visual impairment, these athletes used imagery on a daily basis for functioning effectively within their handicap. Due to their lack of vision, a great deal of feeling and sound was incorporated into their imagery. Suggestions are made for the enhancement of "feeling oriented imagery" with sighted persons.

New neuroimaging techniques have made it possible to examine imagery and found evidence for that imagery share similar neural correlates as in perception. Imagery can be used in different areas to enhance performance, and it is a popular technique in sports. Similar to physical practice (PP), motor imagery (MI) can result in brain plasticity. The aim of this thesis is to describe what imagery means and describe different theories of imagery. This is to further look into what impact MI has on performance in different sports, and then to further see if there are any changes in brain plasticity as a result of using MI. There is a lack of studies done on MI, performance and brain plasticity in sport. To answer the latter focus of this thesis, studies of healthy persons and patient studies using MI to improve performance and examining changes in the brain have been used. In order to do that this thesis aims to do a literature review. The results indicate that MI combined with PP can improve sport performance. It has also been showed that MI alone can be as good as PP. Most studies found that MI combined with PP can result in brain plasticity, and only one study did not found evidence for it. It has also showed that MI alone can result in brain plasticity. Future research should include larger samples, matching subjects, and comparing the effects of MI in several kinds of sports.

Blakeslee och Goff (2007) föreslår att dressyrryttares visualiseringsfärdigheter bör skilja sig från andra sporter som inte involverar ett djur. Enligt Murphy, Nordin och Cumming, (2008) finns det ett behov av ett instrument som tar hänsyn till visualiseringstyp, funktion och dess utgång. The survey of imagery experiences in sport (SIES; Weibull & Wallsbeck, 2009; Wallsbeck & Weibull, 2009) är ett relativt nytt instrument som mäter dessa variabler. Syftena i denna studie var därför att: (1) studera elitdressyrryttares visualiseringsupplevelser, (2) studera elitdressyrryttares förståelse och (3) upplevelse av instrumentet SIES. En kombination av kvalitativ och kvantitativ metod användes i studien. Dressyrryttarnas visualiseringsupplevelser skiljde sig till viss del från tidigare forskning. Till exempel användes flest visualiseringsmönster för syftet hitta rätt känsla och hörselsinnet inkluderades i många visualiseringsmönster. Deltagarnas förståelse och upplevelse av SIES var god med endast några få oklarheter gällande bland annat effekt och frekvens.

Blakeslee and Goff (2007) suggest that dressage riders’ imagery experience should be different from other sports that do not involve an animal. According to Murphy, Nordin and Cumming (2008), there is a need for an assessment instrument assessing the imagery type, function and outcome. The Survey of imagery experiences in sports (SIES, Weibull & Wallsbeck, 2009; Wallsbeck & Weibull, 2009) is a relatively new instrument that measures these variables. The objectives of this study was therefore to: (1) study the elite dressage riders’ imagery experiences, (2) study the elite dressage riders’ understanding and (3) experiences of the instrument SIES. A combination of qualitative and quantitative method was used in the study. The elite dressage riders’ imagery experiences partly differed from previous research. Most imagery patterns were for example used for the purpose find the right feeling and the auditory sense was included in many imagery patterns. The participants’ understanding and experience of SIES were good, with only a few ambiguities regarding for example effect and frequency.

 

 

 

 

This study explored the impact of three psychological interventions over seven weeks - goal setting (GS), GS and imagery (IM), and GS and mindful self-compassion (MSC) - on 20 athletes' (Mage = 16.75 years) pain, cognitive appraisal, depression reinjury anxiety, psychological readiness to return to sport, and range of motion (ROM). IM and GS interventions have demonstrated initial effectiveness; however, no study has examined MSC in relation to post-ACL recovery. All athletes experienced significant decrease in pain (F(2) = 97.30, p = .000) from Week 1 to Week 7 and a significant increase in ROM from Week 2 to Week 7 (F(1) = 77.93, p = .000). All athletes experienced significantly higher depression at Week 1 compared to both Week 2 and Week 7 (F(2) = 9.01, p = .001), and significantly higher difficulty coping with their injury at Weeks 1 and 2 compared to Week 7 (F(2) = 6.32, p = .005). There were no statistically significant effects found between the intervention groups at Weeks 1, 2, and 7. However there were moderate effect sizes between interventions which suggest MSC and IM could help athletes cope with their injury during the first few weeks after surgery, and GS may contribute towards less depression at seven weeks post-surgery. Limitations include small sample size, low power, and use of self-report measures. Results have implications for orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and health professionals working with athletes recovering from serious sport injury.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências do Desporto
O presente estudo teve por objectivo analisar as competências psicológicas de atletas de Jiu-jitsu participantes do 3o Campeonato Europeu da modalidade. Participaram no estudo 115 atletas de diferentes nacionalidades, com idades entre os 18 e os 32 anos (25,75±3,01), os quais responderam a um questionário que, para além de algumas questões relativas a dados demográficos (e.g., idade) e desportivos (e.g., graduação e peso), incluía também a versão portuguesa do Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas et al., 1999). A análise dos resultados revelou que, nos treinos, os atletas utilizavam mais a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Controlo Emocional, enquanto as competências menos referidas foram o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e a Visualização Mental. Em competição os atletas utilizavam mais a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Controlo Emocional e menos os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e a Autoverbalização. A Automaticidade era significativamente mais utilizada no treino do que na competição, e o Relaxamento, a Visualização Mental e a Activação eram mais usadas na competição do que no treino. No que respeita à análise em função dos anos de prática, os atletas com menos de quatro anos de prática, no treino, empregavam mais frequentemente a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Atencional e a Autoverbalização, sendo as competências menos referidas o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e a Activação; na competição, estes atletas recorriam mais à Formulação de Objectivos, à Activação e à Visualização Mental e menos aos Pensamentos Negativos, à Automaticidade e à Autoverbalização. Os atletas com quatro ou mais anos de prática, no treino, recorriam mais à Formulação de Objectivos, ao Controlo Emocional e ao Controlo Atencional e menos ao Relaxamento, à Automaticidade e à Visualização Mental; na competição, este grupo referiu utilizar mais a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Controlo Emocional e menos os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e a Autoverbalização. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas competências psicológicas usadas no treino pelos atletas com menos de quatro anos de prática e com quatro ou mais anos de prática; na competição, os Pensamentos Negativos eram significativamente mais usados pelos atletas com menos de quatro anos de prática. Em relação às categorias de peso, as competências psicológicas que os atletas da categoria Leve mais usavam no treino eram a a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Atencional e a Autoverbalização e as menos utilizadas o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e o Controlo Emocional; as competências psicológicas mais utilizadas na competição eram a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e a Visualização Mental e as menos utilizadas os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e o Controlo Emocional. Os atletas da categoria Médio, no treino, usavam mais a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Atencional e o Controlo Emocional e menos o Relaxamento, a Visualização Menta! e a Autoverbalização; na competição recorriam mais à Activação, Formulação de Objectivos e Controlo Emocional e menos aos Pensamentos Negativos, Automaticidade e Autoverbalização. Os atletas da categoria Pesado empregavam mais, no treino, o Controlo Emocional, a Formulação de Objectivos e a Automaticidade e menos o Relaxamento, a Activação e a Autoverbalização; na competição, utilizavam mais frequentemente a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Relaxamento e com menos frequência os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e a Visualização Mental. No treino, o Controlo Emocional era mais utilizado pelos atletas da categoria Pesado do que pelos da categoria Leve e o Controlo Atencional era mais utilizado pelos atletas da categoria Médio do que pelos da categoria Pesado; na competição, não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas competências psicológicas usadas pelos atletas das três categorias de peso. No que concerne à análise em função da nacionalidade, os resultados mostraram que os atletas do Brasil utilizavam mais, nos treinos, a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Emocional e o Controlo Atencional e as competências menos utilizadas foram o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade, a Visualização Mental e a Activação; na competição, os atletas brasileiros utilizavam mais a Activação, a Formulação de Objectivos e o Controlo Emocional e menos os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e a Autoverbalização. Os atletas da Europa, nos treinos, utilizavam mais a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Atencional e a Autoverbalização, sendo as competâncias menos usadas o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e a Visualização Mental; na competição, recorriam mais à Activação, Formulação de Objectivos e Autoverbalização e menos aos Pensamentos Negativos, Automaticidade e Relaxamento. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas competências psicológicas usadas no treino pelos atletas brasileiros e europeus; na competição, os Pensamentos Negativos eram mais referidos pelos atletas europeus que pelos brasileiros. Relativamente aos resultados dos atletas em função da sua graduação, nos treinos, os atletas de Faixa Branca faziam mais uso do Controlo Emocional, da Autoverbalização e da Formulação de Objectivos e menos do Relaxamento, Automaticidade e Activação; as competências psicológicas mais utilizadas na competição eram a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Controlo Emocional e as menos utilizadas os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e a Autoverbalização. As competências psicológicas mais utilizadas no treino pelos atletas de Faixa Azul eram a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Atencional e o Controlo Emocional e as menos utilizadas o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e a Visualização Mental; na competição, estes atletas recorriam mais à Formulação de Objectivos, à Activação e à Visualização Mental e menos aos Pensamentos Negativos, ao Relaxamento e à Automaticidade, Os atletas de Faixa Roxa, no treino, usavam mais o Controlo Emocional, o Controlo Atencional e a Formulação de Objectivos e menos o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e a Activação; na competição, recorriam mais à Formulação de Objectivos, à Activação e ao Relaxamento e menos aos Pensamentos Negativos, à Automaticidade e à Visualização Mental. As competências psicológicas mais utilizadas no treino pelos atletas de Faixa Castanha eram a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Atencional e o Controlo Emocional e as menos utilizadas o Relaxamento, a Automaticidade e a Visualização Mental; na competição, usavam mais a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Controlo Emocional e menos os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e o Relaxamento. As competências psicológicas mais utilizadas no treino pelos atletas de Faixa Preta eram a Formulação de Objectivos, o Controlo Emocional e o Controlo Atencional e as menos utilizadas o Relaxamento, a Activação e a Visualização Mental; as competências psicológicas mais utilizadas na competição eram a Formulação de Objectivos, a Activação e o Relaxamento e as menos utilizadas os Pensamentos Negativos, a Automaticidade e a Autoverbalização. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas competências psicológicas usadas no treino pelos atletas de diferentes graduações (Faixas); na competição, o Relaxamento era significativamente mais usado pelos atletas de Faixa Preta do que pelos de Faixa Azul e os Pensamentos Negativos eram mais utilizados pelos atletas de Faixa Azul do que pelos de Faixa Castanha.

Physical activity can be beneficial to both physical and mental health, but can also lead to injuries. While injury rehabilitation through physical therapy is mostly focused on physical exercise, there are also other factors, which may influence rehabilitation outcome. The factorsreviewed are: rehabilitation adherence, mindfulness meditation, mental imagery, action observation, self-talk, goal-setting and social support. This essay investigates the neural correlates of these factors, as well as how they can affect rehabilitation outcome and wellbeing, to a lesser degree, during rehabilitation. Among the effects found are performance enhancement, increased self-efficacy, increased pain tolerance, increased motivation and reduced strength loss. Suggestions for future research is also provided.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur vardagsgolfare använder sig av stödjande psykologiska prestationstekniker vid en golfrunda och tävling. I studien deltog tolv vardagsgolfare, sex män och sex kvinnor, i åldrarna 24-82 år (M=50.33, SD=17.19). Deltagarna i den aktuella studien spelade golf minst två gånger i veckan under säsong. Studiens data framkom genom en semistrukturerad intervjuguide, därefter analyserades datan via en innehållsanalys. Resultatet visade tydliga bidrag kring intervjudeltagarnas användning av stödjande psykologiska prestationstekniker vid en golfrunda och tävling. Majoriteten av vardagsgolfarna använde prestationstekniker vid utmanande situationer såsom puttning eller driverslag. Emellertid visade det att de omedvetet använde och kombinerade stödjande psykologiska prestationstekniker eftersom de inte kunde förstå hur deras prestation påverkades av sitt inre. Deltagarna besatt inte tillräcklig förståelse för teknikernas vikt, betydelse eller funktion när de uppfattade en effekt i sitt golfspel och kunde därmed inte förklara utfallet. Studier har visat att idrottare på lägre nivå har en förmåga att använda tekniker på samma sätt som elitidrottare, både fysiska och psykiska. På samma sätt uppvisade intervjudeltagarna tendens kring liknande användning som tidigare forskning visar hos elitidrottare. Vidare implikationer av prestationsteknikerna kan resultera till att deltagarna mer framgångsrikt får användning för teknikernas helhet. Framtida forskning rekommenderas att studera hur vardagsgolfare påverkar sitt spel under en längre tid när de medvetet använder stödjande psykologiska prestationstekniker.
The aim of the study was to investigate how everyday golfers’ use supportive psychological performance techniques in a round of golf and competition. Twelve everyday golfers participated in the study, six men and six women, aged 24-82 years old (M=50.33, SD=17.19). The participants in the current study played golf at least twice a week during the season. The study data emerged through a semi-structured interview guide, then the data was analyzed via a content analysis. The results showed clear contributions about the interview participants’ use of supportive psychological performance techniques in a round of golf and competition. The majority of the everyday golfers used performance techniques in challenging situations such as putting or using the driver. However, it showed that they unknowingly used and combined supportive psychological performance techniques because they could not understand how their performance was affected by their inner being. The participants did not possess a sufficient understanding of the importance, significance or function of the techniques when they perceived an effect in their golf game and thus could not explain the outcome. Studies have shown that athletes on lower levels have the ability to use techniques in the same way as elite athletes, both physically and mentally. In the same way, the interviewees showed a tendency towards similar use as elite athletes. Further implications of the performance techniques may result that the participants use the entirety of the techniques more successfully. Future research recommends studying how everyday golfers affect their game for a long time when they consciously use supportive psychological performance techniques.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Master of Arts (Psycho!ogy)(By coursework and Research Report).
Despite the well documented advantageous functions of imagery rehearsal as it pertains to sporting performance, the relationship between relaxation, imagery rehearsal ability and brainwave activity has received relatively little attention from sport researchers. With this in mind, the primary purpose of the present study was to invest'gate the possibility of the existence (If such a triadic relationship and consider the implications that this relationship may have on the development of imagery intervention programmes in Sport Psychology. Two male and seven female undergraduate Physical Education students, aged between 18 and 28 years volunteered to participate in the study. The Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ) was administered to all subjects in order to assess each subject's imagery ability. The subjects were then randomly assigned to either the control or to the experimental group. Two weeks after completing the VMIQ, the subjects completed the VMIQ for a second tim, During the second administration of the VMIQ all subjects were attached to an EEG ~ojectroencephalograph) machine. The strategically placed EEG electrodes were attached for the purpose of assessing whether or not significant changes in alpha brainwave patterns were evident during imagery rehearsal. The experimental group differed from the control group in that the experimental group took part in a relaxation exercise prior to completing the VMIQ for a second time, whilst the control group did not receive the relaxation intervention. The results of the study indicated that there was enhanced alpha brainwave activity in the right occipital lobe during the imagery conditions. Whilst it could be speculated from the research findings that imagery ability and. brainwave activity differed from individual to individual and from one imagery condition to another, these differences were not statistically significant. Although not statistically significant, the differences observed between the pre and post-test scores for the experimental group were however purported to be meaningful since three of'the four subjects from the experimental group showed an improvement on imagery ability following the relaxation intervention. This finding justifies the need for future research into the relationship between relaxation and imagery rehearsal. It was also concluded that whilst some subjects emitted the greatest alpha activity during the same imagery dimensions for which they reported the highest imagery abilitiy scores, other subjects emitted the greatest alpha activity during the same imagery dimensions for which they reported the lowest scores in imagery abilitiy. As such, it could not be concluded from the present research findings that a correlation between imagery ability and alpha brainwave activity actually exists.

This project explores the means of self-efficacy development in competitive athletes. The theoretical part of the project will include sport motivation, performance and most importantly the application of a psychological concept of self-efficacy in individual sports. Additionally, it will discuss various self-efficacy measurements and enhancement techniques in athletes. The empirical part of the project will include qualitative research which aims to explore the level of self-efficacy in modern gymnasts and verify particular techniques of self-efficacy enhancement in their training. Keywords Self-efficacy; Sport Psychology; Motivation to Sport; Imagery; Self-talk; Goal setting

Diese Dissertation untersucht motorische und kognitive Leistungen in der Kindheit am Beispiel des Erlernens einer sportlichen Fertigkeit. Dafür wurde eine Methode zur Messung mentaler Vorstellungen von Bewegungen bei Vorschulkindern entwickelt. Diese basiert auf dem Prinzip räumlicher Verdeckung. Es wurden damit sowohl verschiedene kognitive Leistungen wie die Wahrnehmung und Vorstellung von Bewegungen miteinander verglichen als auch in Beziehung zum Bewegungslernen gesetzt. Außerdem wurde in einer quasi-experimentellen Studie u.a. der Einfluss von Erfahrung, Geschlecht und Versuchsbedingung auf Wahrnehmungs- und Vorstellungsleistungen per Experten-Novizen-Paradigma untersucht. Es wurde geschlussfolgert, dass die Methode hinsichtlich des Geschlechts auch in jungen Jahren differenziert. Das bedeutet, dass Mädchen und Jungen im Vorschulalter möglicherweise unterschiedlich bei der Lösung der Aufgaben vorgehen. Damit kann die Methode - im Gegensatz zur Methode der Mentalen Rotation - auch für die Diagnostik von Vorstellungen von Bewegungen ab einem Alter von 4 Jahren eingesetzt werden.