Abstract
It is well established that the acquisition and improvement of motor skills occurs through the identification and correction of errors. That is, sensory information about how the movement was performed and its outcome can be compared to the intended movement to identify errors and adjust the motor plan accordingly. This error detection/correction mechanism, a component of the internal model, is thus critical to motor skill acquisition. The covert nature of motor imagery (MI), the mental rehearsal of a movement, seemingly precludes the generation of the sensory feedback necessary for the detection and subsequent correction of errors. How motor skill acquisition, well documented to result from MI-based practice, occurs absent an error detection/correction mechanism is not clear. Following a brief review of the evidence showing MI to be effective for motor skill acquisition, the present talk reviews new data showing that like overt movement, errors are committed during imagined performance of movement. Further, evidence that the commission and presumed correction of these errors drives skill acquisition will be shown. Finally, evidence as to whether internal models are active and can be updated through MI-based practice will be presented.
