Mental Imagery Definition Sport Psychology

Mental Imagery Definition Sport Psychology. The imagery used by participants in sport for learning and perfecting new skills for mental rehearsal and for controlling emotions. As a conscious process that is deliberately employed by an athlete or exerciser to serve a specific function it is distinctly different from daydreaming or just thinking about something.

Imagery and sport psychology. Mental imagery is broadly construed as a cognitive simulation process by which we can represent perceptual information in our mind in the absence of appropriate sensory input munzert et al 2009. Mental imagery varieties of which are sometimes colloquially refered to as visualizing seeing in the mind s eye hearing in the head imagining the feel of etc is quasi perceptual experience.

Sports psychologists and mental game coaches simply structure mental rehearsal for athletes to get the most out of it.

Many definitions of mental imagery derived from sport psychology literature have tended to focus on only limited aspects of this ambiguous mental experience. Kerkez 2012 conducted a 14 week study of specific imagery and autogenic relaxation combined with regular physical training on soccer skill performance in novice boys aged 10 12 years. Mental imagery is broadly construed as a cognitive simulation process by which we can represent perceptual information in our mind in the absence of appropriate sensory input munzert et al 2009. Terms such as imagery visualization mental practice and mental rehearsal have been used interchangeably among researchers sport psychology consultants coaches and athletes to describe a powerful mental training technique taylor wilson 2005.