Way we can direct attention to a specific part of a

way, we can direct attention to a specific part of a skill while performing the
whole skill. Results provide evidence that attention -directing instruction
can serve to establish a part practice environment while allowing the
person to practice the whole skill.
■ ex. a group of participants playing a video game, and some were
given attention directing instructions while a control group was given
no information. the control group showed improvement however, not
as much as the groups who received additional instruction.
Chapter 19
● (A) Define mental practice . (B) Describe three ways in which a person can engage
in mental practice.
○ Mental Practice - active cognitive or mental rehearsal of a skill, where a
person may think about the cognitive or procedural aspects of a motor skill
or engage in visual or kinestetic imagery the performance of a skill or part
of a skill.
■ A person observes another person live
■ Observes another person or themselves on film or video
■ OR can occur without any visual observation at all
● Describe an example of how you would implement mental practice procedures to
aid the learning of a new skill.
○ Although physical practice is better than mental practice, mental practice
is better than no practice at all. Therefore, mental practice in conjunction
with physical practice would be considered an effective means in aiding
skill acquisition because cognitive problem solving activity is an important
characteristic for optimizing skill acquisition. Mental practice establishes a
learning condition that invokes these beneficial conditions.
● Describe an example of how you would implement a mental practice strategy to
aid your preparation to perform a well-learned skill.
There are two types of imagery related to motor skill performance. Motivational
imagery and cognitive imagery. Motivational imagery which can be specific, general
mastery, or general arousal and Cognitive which can be specific or General.
Motivational Imagery
a) specific- represents specific goals and goal orienting behaviors (ex. Winning a medal)
b)General Mastery- represents effective coping and mastery of challenging situations (ex.

Confidence, focus)
c) general Arousal- represents feelings of relaxation, stress, arousal, and anxiety in a situation
(ex. Being relaxed prior to an event)
Cognitive Imagery
a) specific- imagery of performing specific skills (ex. Performing a golf shot)
b) General- imagery of strategies related to an event (ex. Strategy to overcome a full-court press
in basketball)
● What are three reasons researchers have proposed to explain why mental
practice aids motor skill learning and performance?
○ the neuromuscular hypothesis is based on research evidence showing
EMG recordigs in muscles that would be involved in teh actual physical
performance
○ The brain activity hypothesis propses that similar brain regions are
activated during imagining of a movement and the physical execution of
the movement. Evidence from research involving brain imaging techniques
supports this hypothesis.