Dimensions

PlumX

How to Cite
Khalaf, B. (2014). A motor imagery during blind action is guided by the same foci of attention as actual performance in a sample comprising females. International Journal of Psychological Research, 7(2), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.21500/20112084.654
License terms
The work that is sent to this journal must be original, not published or sent to be published elsewhere; and if it is accepted for publication, authors will agree to transfer copyright to International Journal of Psychological Research. 

To give up copyright, the authors allow that, International Journal of Psychological Research, distribute the work more broadly, check for the reuse by others and take care of the necessary procedures for the registration and administration of copyright; at the same time, our editorial board represents the interests of the author and allows authors to re-use his work in various forms. In response to the above, authors transfer copyright to the journal, International Journal of Psychological Research. This transfer does not imply other rights which are not those of authorship (for example those that concern about patents). Likewise, preserves the authors rights to use the work integral or partially in lectures, books and courses, as well as make copies for educational purposes. Finally, the authors may use freely the tables and figures in its future work, wherever make explicit reference to the previous publication in International Journal of Psychological Research. The assignment of copyright includes both virtual rights and forms of the article to allow the editorial to disseminate the work in the manner which it deems appropriate. 

The editorial board reserves the right of amendments deemed necessary in the application of the rules of publication.

Abstract

There is strong evidence that focussing on the goal of an action improves performance relative to focussing on the concrete motor behaviours. The current study tests whether blind action guided by imagery relies on the same foci of attention. Thirty female participants took part in an experiment. In each condition there were 20 trials, they were asked to close their eyes and draw a straight line between two landmarks on a graphics tablet. We instructed them, in three conditions, to focus on (1) mental imagery of the goal landmark (external focus of attention), (2) drawing a straight line with the fingers (internal focus), or (3) without a specific focus of attention (control). We tested to what extent these attention instructions affected drawing performance, in terms of both deviations of the participants’ lines from an ideal straight line, and the time it took to complete the line. The study revealed that the manipulation specifically affected the deviation measure and that an external focus of attention was better than an internal focus and the control condition. These findings reveal that that mental imagery during blind action relies on same processes as actual performance. These data give perceptual representations of a direct role in motor control. They will be related to current theories of action control (constrained action hypothesis, ideomotor theories, and dual task accounts).

Keywords:

References

Carpenter, S. K., Lohse, K.R., Healy, A.F., Bourne, L.E. & Clegg, B.a. (2013). External focus of attention improves performance in a speeded aiming task. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2(1), 14–19. doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.11.002

Chiviacowsky, S., Wulf, G. & Wally, R. (2010). An external focus of attention enhances balance learning in older adults. Gait & Posture, 32(4), 572–5.

Farah, M.J., Hammond, K.M., Levine, D.N. & Calvanio, R. (1988). Visual and spatial mental imagery: dissociable systems of representation. Cognitive Psychology, 20(4), 439–62.

Freedman, S.E., Wulf, G. & Robin, D.A. (2007). Internal Versus External : Oral-Motor Attentional Focus. Hearing Research, 50, 131–136.

Guillot, A., Lebon, F., Rouffet, D., Champely, S., Doyon, J. & Collet, C. (2007). Muscular responses during motor imagery as a function of muscle contraction types. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 66, 18–27.

Hagh, Z.E., Sadeghi, H. & Daneshfar, A. (2013). The effect of attentional focus in imagery on sagittal ankle muscle power in able-bodied inactive elderly. International Journal of Sport Studies, 3(6), 574–580.

Hale, B. (2003). Effect of mental imagery of a motor task on the Hoffmann reflex. Behavioural Brain Research, 142(1-2), 81–87. doi:10.1016/S0166-4328(02)0 0397-2

Hommel, B., Müsseler, J., Aschersleben, G. & Prinz, W. (2001). The Theory of Event Coding (TEC): a framework for perception and action planning. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(5), 849–937.

Jeannerod, M. (2001). Neural simulation of action: a unifying mechanism for motor cognition. NeuroImage, 14, S103–9. doi: 10.1006/nimg.2001.0832

Jeannerod, M. & Frak, V. (1999) Mental imaging of motor activity in humans. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 9, 735–39.

Klein, R. (2009). On the control of attention. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology = Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Expérimentale, 63(3), 240–52.

Kosslyn, S.M., Ganis, G. & Thompson, W.L. (2006). 11 Mental imagery and the human brain. In Jing, Q., Rosenzweig, M.R., d'Ydewalle, G., Zhang, H., Chen, H.C. & Zhang, K. (Eds). Progress in psychological science around the world, vol 1: Neural, cognitive and developmental issues (pp. 195-209). New York: Psychology Press.

Lohse, K.R., Jones, M., Healy, A.F. & Sherwood, D.E. (2014). The role of attention in motor control. Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, 143(2), 930–48. doi:10.1037/a0032817

Rodrigues, E.C., Lemos, T., Gouvea, B., Volchan, E., Imbiriba, L.a. & Vargas, C.D. (2010). Kinesthetic motor imagery modulates body sway. Neuroscience, 169(2), 743–50.

Salehian, M.H., Gursoy, R., Sen, E. & Zadeh, M.S.M. (2012). External or Internal Attention for Vertical Mass Displacement. Life Science Journal, 9(4), 3669–3672.

Schlesinger, M., Porter, J. & Russell, R. (2012). An external focus of attention enhances manual tracking of occluded and visible targets. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 591. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00591

Souman, J.L., Frissen, I., Sreenivasa, M.N. & Ernst, M.O. (2009). Walking straight into circles. Current Biology : CB, 19(18), 1538–42. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.053

Taylor, J. G. (2006). Attention as the control system of the brain. International Journal of General Systems, 35(3), 361–376. doi:10.1080/03081070600661077

Wühr, P. & Müsseler, J. (2002). Blindness to stimuli in the psychological refractory period paradigm. Visual Cognition, 9(4-5), 421–457.

Wulf, G. (1998). The learning adavntage of an external focus of attention in Golf. American Alliance for Health, 70(2), 120–126.

Wulf, G. (2007). Attention Focus and Motor Learning: A Review of 10 years of Research. E-Journal Bewegung Und Training, 1, 4-14.

Wulf, G., McConnel, N., Gärtner, M. & Schwarz, A. (2002). Enhancing the learning of sport skills through external-focus feedback. Journal of Motor Behavior, 34, 171-182.

Wulf, G., McNevin, N. & Shea, C.H. (2001). The automaticity of complex motor skill learning as a function of attentional focus. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. A, Human Experimental Psychology, 54(4), 1143–54. doi:10.1080/713756012

Wulf, G., Dufek, J.S., Lozano, L. & Pettigrew, C. (2010). Increased jump height and reduced EMG activity with an external focus. Human Movement Science, 29(3), 440–8. doi:10.1016/j.humov.2009.11.008

Wulf, G., Shea, C. & Park, J. (2013). Advantages of an External Focus Attention and Motor Performance : Preferences for and Advantages of an External Focus. Research quarterly for exercise and sport 72(4), 335-44.

Wulf, G., Zachry, T., Granados, C. & Dufek, J.S. (2007). In- creases in jump-and-reach height through an external focus of attention. International Journal of Sport Science & Coach- ing, 2, 275-284.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Cited by