Experience in sports and music influences motor imagery: Insights from implicit and explicit measures

Motor imagery (MI) can be an effective strategy for learning and enhancing movement or as an alternative training modality when physical practice is compromised. Individual differences in MI ability are widely documented but the role of experience in different activities in influencing MI is not well understood. The present study examined how experience in activities associated with the use of MI influences implicit and explicit MI.

Participants completed a hand laterality judgement task (N = 84) and a MI questionnaire (MIQ-3; N = 59) online. These implicit and explicit measures of MI were analysed in relation to frequent experience in individual sports/exercise, team sports, dance, and playing a musical instrument.

The majority of participants reported using both visual and kinesthetic MI within their activities. Across activities, frequent experience was associated with more accurate hand laterality judgement, as well as increased biomechanical constraint effects, particularly for hands viewed from the palm. In relation to the different activity types, significant effects were found for individual and team sports and music, but not dance. Participants' level of training was associated with ratings of explicit MI (MIQ-3).

Experience in activities that utilise MI influences implicit MI, while formal training may have a stronger influence on explicit MI. Activity-specific effects on MI may reflect differences in kinesthetic and visual experience of the different hand surfaces.