Simultaneous and alternate action observation and motor imagery combinations improve aiming performance

Abstract

Motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO) are techniques that have been shown to enhance motor skill learning. While both techniques have been used independently, recent research has demonstrated that combining action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) promotes better outcomes. However, little is known about the most effective way to combine these techniques. This study examined the effects of simultaneous (i.e., observing an action whilst imagining carrying out the action concurrently) and alternate (i.e., observing an action and then doing imagery related to that action consecutively) AOMI combinations on the learning of a dart throwing task. Participants (n=50) were randomly allocated to one of five training groups: action observation (AO), motor imagery (MI), simultaneous action observation and motor imagery (S-AOMI), alternate action observation and motor imagery (A-AOMI) and a control group. Interventions were conducted three times per week for six weeks and pre-and post-measures of total score were collected. Results revealed that all intervention groups, with the exception of the AO and control groups, significantly improved performance following the intervention. Posthoc analyses showed that S-AOMI group improved to a significantly greater degree than the MI and AO groups, and participants in the A-AOMI group improved to a significantly greater degree than the AO group. Participants in the A-AOMI group did not improve to a significantly greater degree than the S-AOMI group (p =1.00). These findings suggest that combining AOMI, regardless of how it's combined, may be the beneficial method for improving the learning and performance of aiming skills.

The effect of action observation and motor imagery combinations on upper limb kinematics and EMG during dart‐throwing

“…Fifty university students (25 males, 25 females; Mean age = 28.80 years, SD = 6.75) were recruited. The number of participants was established to be comparable to that of previous research of a similar nature . All participants reported being right‐handed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory and reported normal or corrected to normal vision and were novice performers who had limited dart‐throwing experience.…”

“…While some research on stroke patients and postsurgical orthopedic patients has suggested that combining AOMI in a simultaneous manner enhances functional outcomes, a recent study using a sporting task has suggested that the manner in which AO and MI are combined has little bearing on the magnitude of motor learning witnessed. Specifically, Romano‐Smith, Wood, Wright, & Wakefield employed a 6‐week intervention where one group was instructed to observe while simultaneously completing concurrent MI movement (S‐AOMI), while the other group practiced AOMI by alternating AO and MI components (A‐AOMI). Results showed that both AOMI combinations improved significantly more than participants in the AO and MI only groups when learning dart‐throwing.…”

“…The aim of this study was to investigate performance results, EMG activity, and movement kinematics that may underpin the superior effects of AOMI demonstrated by using a dart‐throwing task. We hypothesize that AO, MI, A‐AOMI, and S‐AOMI interventions will produce performance improvements from pre‐ to post‐test, relative to a control group, and these improvements will be greater in both combined AOMI groups compared to either intervention alone.…”

Free throw performance in non-expert basketball players: The effect of dynamic motor imagery combined with action observation

“…According to Eaves, Riach, Holmes, and Wright (2016), AO evokes a cognitive representation of the observed action, involving bottom-up and percept-driven processes that are under the subconscious control of the observer (Holmes & Calmels, 2008). The beneficial effect of AO seems to reflect involuntary activation of motor codes corresponding to observed motor Motor Imagery, Video and Basket-ball 5 actions (Romano- Smith, Wood, Wright, & Wakefield, 2018). During AO, observers copy the movement kinematics (e.g., speed) of the model, which is coded trough biological motion (Wild, Poliakoff, Jerrison, & Gowen, 2010).…”

“…Other authors have suggested using AO combined with MI to improve motor execution and performance (Battaglia et al, 2014;Robin & Flochlay, 2017;Romano-Smith et al, 2018;Taube, Lorch, Zeiter, & Keller, 2014). AO and MI are two forms of motor simulation that activate the motor system in the absence of overt motor execution (Eaves et al, 2016;Jeannerod, 2001) and evoke an internal motor representation of the movement (Rizzolatti & Sinigaglia, 2010).…”