On behalf of my Associate Editors (Prof. Cathy Craig and Dr John Kremer, Queen's University, Belfast; Prof. David Lavallee, Stirling University; Dr Tadhg MacIntyre, University of Ulster; and Dr Trish Gorely, Loughborough University) and International Editorial Board (see inside cover for full list), I am very pleased to introduce issue 5(1) of International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology (IRSEP).
Overview of the current issue
The first paper in this issue, by Aymeric Guillot, Nady Hoyek, Magali Louis and Christian Collet (all of the Université Claude Bernard – Lyon 1), is a critical review of the research literature on the timing of ‘motor imagery’ or the cognitive rehearsal of actions without engaging in overt movement execution. Following an analysis of the similarities and differences between actual and imagined times for the execution of motor actions, the authors consider key factors influencing athletes to over-estimate or under-estimate the duration of imagined movements. They conclude by exploring practical applications and future research directions in this field of imagery research. This paper should be of great interest to sport and exercise psychology researchers, sport scientists, cognitive neuroscientists and motor learning scholars.
The second paper is by Sean Cumming (University of Bath), Lauren B. Sherar (University of Saskatchewan), Dominika M. Pindus (University of Saskatchewan), Manuel L. Coelho-e-Silva (University of Coimbra) and Robert M. Malina (University of Texas) and presents a model of adolescent involvement in physical activity (PA) that incorporates individual differences in biological maturation. This model postulates a number of possible mechanisms by which biological maturation can exert direct and indirect effects on PA. Clearly, this paper will appeal to exercise psychology and health psychology researchers as well as to sport and exercise scientists.
The third and fourth papers in this issue are thematically related reviews by Costas Karageorghis and David-Lee Priest (both of Brunel University). These reviews provide a critical appraisal and synthesis of the research literature on the effects of music on the psychological processes and performance of people engaged in exercise. Included in these reviews are the effects of pre-task music and in-task asynchronous music (both covered in Part 1) and the longitudinal effects of music and post-task music (in Part 2). Following a general discussion of theoretical and methodological issues in this field, the authors provide suggestions for further research and guidelines for practitioners in this field.
A note of thanks
As usual, this issue of IRSEP would not have been possible without the exceptional diligence and unstinting help of a number of colleagues. In particular, I am very grateful to Dr Kate Kirby, my Editorial Assistant, and also to my excellent and energetic team of Associate Editors (Cathy Craig, Trish Gorely, John Kremer, David Lavallee and Tadhg MacIntyre). Finally, I wish to thank IRSEP's large pool of anonymous manuscript reviewers for their continued assistance in evaluating the submissions that we receive.