Examining the equivalence between imagery and execution – Does imagery comprise the intended spatial trajectory?

Roberts, James W. and Wakefield, Caroline and de Grosbois, John (2024) Examining the equivalence between imagery and execution – Does imagery comprise the intended spatial trajectory? Journal of Motor Behavior. ISSN 0022-2895

Text Imagery+Spatial Estimation_JR,CW,JD, 2024.docx - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (59kB)

Abstract

The functional equivalence model suggests a common internal representation initiates both imagery and execution. This suggestion is supported by the mental chronometry effect, where there is a positive relation between task difficulty (as defined by the Index of Difficulty; ID) and imagined movement time. The present study extends this logic by examining whether imagery captures the spatial trajectory. Participants were initially tasked with the imagery and execution of a rapid aiming movement under different IDs. These initial attempts were adapted to configure auditory tones at early (25%) and late (75%) intervals for a separate set of imagery trials. If a tone had sounded, participants had to estimate post-trial where their imagined limb would have been located. The findings revealed increases in ID that coincided with increases in imagined and executed movement times. However, participant mean and standard deviation of estimated locations revealed limited differences between the early and late tones. Further inspection revealed some evidence for these estimated locations shifting further along in space following more rapid imagined movements. While equivalence is clearly evident within the temporal domain, there is comparatively little to suggest that this logic extends to the resolution required for simulating the spatial characteristics of movement.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This is an author accepted manuscript version of an article that has been accepted for publication by Taylor & Francis in the Journal of Motor Behavior, available online from: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/vjmb20
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	Caroline Wakefield
Date Deposited:	23 Sep 2024 09:00
Last Modified:	28 Oct 2024 14:28
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/4373

Actions (login required)

View Item