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Abstract
Very little research has investigated differences in imagery use between open-and closed-skill sports. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of competitive level (elite/novice) and skill-type (open/closed) on athletes' imagery use. A total of 83 British athletes (39 elite, 44 novice) from open-(n = 40: 23 rugby; 17 martial arts) and closed-skill (n = 43: 28 golf; 15 figure skating) sports completed the Sport Imagery Questionnaire no more than 24 hours prior to competition. MANOVA revealed that main effects due to competitive level and skill-type were significant (p < .05). Univariate analyses revealed that elite athletes used more CS and CG imagery than novices (p < .001), and contrary to previous research findings, athletes in open-skilled sports used more MG-A imagery than those in closed-skill sports (p < .001). Overall, MG-M was the most used imagery type, regardless of competitive level and skill-type. The results are discussed in terms of methodological difficulties, future research, and practical implications.
This investigation is based on Scott Thomas' undergraduate honors Dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Weigand, Dr. Hemmings, and Dr. Walley and preliminary data was presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI, 2004.