Effect of Motor Imagery and Self-Talk Combined with Physical Exercise on Motor Memory Consolidation in Adolescents

authors:

avatar Sajjad Heydaripour ORCID 1 , avatar Behrouz Abdoli ORCID 1 , avatar Parvaneh Shamsipour ORCID 2 , * , avatar Yannis Theodorakis 3

Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Associate Professor, Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Thessaly, Greece
International Journal of Motor Control and Learning: Vol.4, issue 4; 12-18
published online: December 16, 2022
article type: Research Article
received: April 29, 2022
accepted: November 24, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52547/ijmcl.4.4.12

how to cite: Heydaripour S, Abdoli B, Shamsipour P, Theodorakis Y. Effect of Motor Imagery and Self-Talk Combined with Physical Exercise on Motor Memory Consolidation in Adolescents. J Motor Control Learn. 2022;4(4):e144170. https://doi.org/10.52547/ijmcl.4.4.12.

Abstract

Background: Consolidation in motor memory depends on various factors. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of physical exercise (PE (combined with motor imagery (MI) and self-talk (ST) on motor memory consolidation in adolescents.
Method: The participants were 45 unskilled right-handed young males (13 ± 1.8 years), randomly divided into three groups of PE, ST + PE, and MI + PE. After the pre-test participants practiced fingers overhead passing and forearm passing for 3 sessions on three consecutive days. The acquisition test was performed immediately after the last training session and the retention one a week after that.
Results: The results of ANOVA with repeated measures indicated that all three groups had experienced consolidation. We found that better performance means of the combined ST+PE group with that of the MI+PE one and the PE group (P = 0.005). Comparing motor performance indicated that the combined ST group, more than the other two groups, and the combined MI group experienced more enhancements in consolidating their motor memory than the PE group (P = 0.005). 
Conclusion: Overall, these findings indicated the importance of ST in improving motor memory consolidation. 

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