Mediator and moderator variables of imagery use-motor learning and sport performance relationships: a narrative review

Mind-over-body beliefs in sport and exercise: A driving force for training volume and performance, but with risks for exercise addiction

We assume that athletic success is associated with certain beliefs that on the one hand promote performance-enhancing behavior (training volume), but on the other hand can also be detrimental to health (sports addiction). These beliefs are succinctly characterized by the title of the 9-item "Mind-over-Body" scale presented here. They are the three beliefs that 1) athletic performance requires a high level of effort, 2) that willpower plays an important role in athletic success, and 3) that athletic success requires pain tolerance. A total of six web-survey-based studies with a total of 1121 participants (approximately gender parity), including individuals with different levels of athletic performance (no competition; amateur sport; regional, national, or international competition), examined the psychometric network and construct and criterion validity of the MoB scale. Exploratory graph analyses, which included the studies with the largest sample sizes, showed that the three belief components (effort, willpower, pain) form separable communities within the MoB network and that the MoB items form communities distinct from self-control and self-efficacy. Meta-analyzed correlations across all six studies showed low positive correlations with self-control and self-efficacy. In terms of criterion validity, MoB beliefs were positively correlated with training volume and exercise addiction. We discuss MoBs as "on the edge of unhealthy" and place MOBs within a framework of related but distinct concepts.

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement and Motor Imagery Are Efficient to Emphasize the Effects of a Standardized Warm-Up on Sprint-Running Performances

Warm-up routines include various tasks focused on the peripheral contractile properties and nervous motor command. This present study was aimed at investigating the acute effects of different warm-up routines, emphasizing either peripheral (post-activation performance enhancement, PAPE) or central (motor imagery, MI) contributions on sport-specific tasks. Eleven young female athletes took part in this cross-over, randomized, controlled trial. They underwent three experimental sessions composed of a standardized warm-up followed by 10 min of (1) rest (CONTROL), (2) maximal concentric leg press (PAPE), or (3) mental repetitions of sprint tasks (MI). Post-tests consisted of reaction time, arrowhead agility test, 20 m sprint, repeated sprint ability, and NASA-TLX fatigue questionnaire. PAPE and MI significantly enhanced the arrowhead agility test (p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively) and repeated sprint ability (p = 0.002 and p = 0.035, respectively) compared to CONTROL, without any difference between PAPE and MI. The 20 m sprint time was better after PAPE as compared to MI (p = 0.005) and CONTROL (p < 0.001), without any difference between MI and CONTROL. Reaction time and the NASA-TLX questionnaire were not affected by the warm-up modalities (p > 0.05). PAPE was the most efficient to optimize warm-up due to its greater peripheral contribution that would improve muscle contractility. MI specifically improved the imagined tasks mostly by central contribution.

The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Relationship between Approach Motivational System and Sports Success among Elite Speed Skating Athletes and Physical Education Students

BACKGROUND

While the association between self-efficacy and sports success has been well established in previous studies, little is known regarding whether the basic approach motivation system contributes to this relationship in athletes. The study examines associations between self-reported temperamental approach disposition, self-efficacy, and predispositions to sports success in athletes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed between August 3 and 30 November 2020. The participants were 156 athletes, aged 16-34 years (M = 21.57, SD = 3.58, 41.67% women), in two groups: 54 elite athletes in speed skating (EASS) and 102 physical education students (PES). The online survey consisted of the Reinforced Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Sports Success Scale (SSS).

RESULTS

There were no differences in self-efficacy and sports success in terms of gender, sports discipline, and level of competitions. The Behavioral Activation System (BAS) results were lower in the EASS sample compared with in the PES group. Self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationships between BAS and sports success among athletes, with sport discipline as a moderator between BAS and self-efficacy. Sports success in speed skating relies strongly on BAS, while a weak link has been found in other sports disciplines.

CONCLUSIONS

BAS is directly correlated to sports success and indirectly related through self-efficacy. Mental training should be focused on maintaining self-efficacy and reward motivation in athletes to increase their sports success.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire for Children (SIQ-C) to the portuguese language

Abstract The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate the Sport Imagery Questionnaire for Children to Brazilian Portuguese. For this purpose, analyzes of reproducibility, internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted. The final sample consisted of 521 athletes from 14 sports and ages 14 and 19 (M = 16.31, SD = 1.18). High indices of internal consistency (? = 0.870), reproducibility (0.824) and content validity were verified. In the confirmatory factor analysis, it was observed the appropriate global indexes of adjustment to the five-factor instrument model (RMSEA = 0.060; CFI = 0.90; TLI = 0.88; SRMR = 0.047). The translated instrument has adequate psychometric indicators to evaluate sport imagery, presents a reproducible factor structure and is a reliable test to measure the frequency of imagery use in Brazilian adolescent athletes.

App-based data collection, mental imagery, and naming performance in adults with aphasia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Naming impairments are often found in aphasia. Combining mHealth technology with mental imagery may offer new insights into novel approaches to naming interventions in persons with aphasia. The aims of this study are to (1) explore whether mental imagery can improve performance during a naming task in adults with aphasia; and, (2) demonstrate the use of app-based data collection for research in aphasia rehabilitation through utilization of an app designed specifically for this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A single subject non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants was utilized. Four participants with anomic and conduction aphasia were included. Each participant's percentage of naming accuracy was measured before the initiating intervention to establish a baseline level of performance.

RESULTS

Per overlap metrics, two of the participants demonstrated a strong effect in improving naming from baseline to intervention on items using the app. Two participants showed no effect in naming accuracy from the imagery intervention.

CONCLUSION

Some participants showed improvement in naming items following an imagery script, suggesting that this complementary health practice should continue to be explored. Additionally, this study demonstrates the successful use of app-based data collection.

Written Emotional Disclosure Can Promote Athletes' Mental Health and Performance Readiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The widespread effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have negatively impacted upon many athletes’ mental health and increased reports of depression as well as symptoms of anxiety. Disruptions to training and competition schedules can induce athletes’ emotional distress, while concomitant government-imposed restrictions (e.g., social isolation, quarantines) reduce the availability of athletes’ social and emotional support. Written Emotional Disclosure (WED) has been used extensively in a variety of settings with diverse populations as a means to promote emotional processing. The expressive writing protocol has been used to a limited extent in the context of sport and predominantly in support of athletes’ emotional processing during injury rehabilitation. We propose that WED offers an evidence-based treatment that can promote athletes’ mental health and support their return to competition. Research exploring the efficacy of the expressive writing protocol highlights a number of theoretical models underpinning the positive effects of WED; we outline how each of these potential mechanisms can address the multidimensional complexity of the challenging circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., loss of earnings, returning to training and competition). Considerations and strategies for using WED to support athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic are presented.

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian-adapted version of Sport Imagery Questionnaire

Imagery can be defined as the ability to represent and rehearse in the mind behaviors related to a given situation. The Sport Imagery Questionnaire was developed to measure the frequency of imagery use among athletes. The present study aimed to adapt and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of this instrument. Study 1 appraised content validity using five sport scientists as judges to quantify the quality of the adaptation for each item; then the Content Validity Coefficient was calculated. Study 2 had 260 athletes from six types of sport answer the Brazilian questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test factorial validity, Cronbach's alpha was calculated to assess reliability, and comparisons between groups were used as criterion validity. Study 1 results showed good quality of the adaptation according to the judges. Study 2 showed a 5-factor latent structure which corroborates with the literature. Reliability of the scale was high (α = .91), whereas separately subscales ranged between Motivational General: Arousal (α = .87) and Motivational Specific (α = .94). Regarding group differences, sex showed no significant difference between men and women (p = .55; d = .09) and neither did levels of practice between amateur, semi-professionals and professional athletes (p = .71; f = .07). Types of sports revealed moderate effect size and significantly less imagery practice among synchronized swimming, football and beach volleyball athletes, whereas mixed martial artists showed higher frequency of imagery (p < .05; f = .23). Factor structure, reliability and validity of mixed groups are evidence of a successful cross-cultural adaptation of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire to Brazil.