Abstract
Research has demonstrated that mental imagery is beneficial for the acquisition and performance of motor skills and strategies of play, participant motivation, the regulation of arousal and anxiety, and the rehabilitation of athletic injuries. Therefore, it would be expected that mental imagery would be a topic of discussion in university Kinesiology courses and courses in related fields that focus on psychology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency with which mental imagery is included as a topic of discussion in Kinesiology related courses where it would be suitable to do so. Given the number of intervention studies showing that mental imagery can facilitate the learning and performance of motor tasks and sport skills, it was hypothesized that mental imagery would most frequently be a topic of discussion in sport psychology and motor learning/control courses. Participants were 35 professors from Canadian Universities who in the past 12 months had taught courses in Kinesiology and related fields in which mental imagery could be a course topic. They completed an on-line questionnaire specifically designed for this study. Results indicated that 63% of the respondents taught a course in which mental imagery was a planned topic of discussion. Mental imagery was most frequently a topic of discussion in sport psychology courses and courses in which sport and exercise psychology are both covered, followed by motor learning/control courses. It was less frequently covered in courses specifically focused on exercise psychology and athletic injury rehabilitation. Explanations for these findings are offered.
