Imagery rehearsal ability, relaxation and brain wave activity: implications for imagery intervention programmes in sport psychology
Date
2016-07-15
Authors
Behrmann, Mandy
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Abstract
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.
Description
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).