Krista Munroe-Chandler, University of Windsor
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Imagery has been described as the “central pillar of applied sport psychology” (Perry & Morris,
1995, p. 339) and previous research (Hall, 2001; Munroe-Chandler et al., 2005) has
demonstrated that imagery helps athletes of all ages improve performance. Much of the imagery
research has stemmed from Paivio’s (1985) analytic framework in which imagery is shown to
play both cognitive and motivational roles and that each operates at a specific or general level.
Although imagery has been a well- researched topic with adult athletes, limited research
examining imagery use by young athletes has been conducted.
The overarching aim of the program of research is to investigate young athletes’ imagery use
from a developmental perspective. In Study 1, the purpose is to investigate the influence of
competitive level on the use of imagery by male and female soccer athletes aged 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14 years and to examine the relationship between imagery use and self-confidence.
Preliminary findings with a small sample of 82 soccer athletes revealed no significant
differences in imagery use with respect to competitive level (house league vs. travel). However,
the results revealed strong correlations between the MG-M function of imagery and the
measures of self-confidence and self-efficacy.
The purpose of Study 2 is to improve the self-efficacy of male and female tennis athletes aged
7-8 years through the use of a motivational general-mastery imagery intervention. Using a
multiple baseline design, it is hypothesized that a 14 week imagery intervention will enhance the
athletes’ self-efficacy.
It is important to study imagery from a developmental perspective in young athletes for several
reasons. First, researchers have argued that imagery is a skill that can be improved through
regular practice. Therefore, one can assume that imagery improves throughout the lifespan with
continuous practice. Perhaps the earlier one begins to use imagery, the more proficient he/she
becomes at imagery and the more benefits (increased learning and self-efficacy) that will be
derived. Also, when participants are more proficient and confident at performing an activity, they
are more likely to continue engaging in that activity. Overall, it is anticipated that the information
gained from this research program will provide a greater understanding of the developmental
use of imagery by young performers in a sporting context.
SCRI 2007 Presentation Slides
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