An exploration of imagery type and imagery ability and their impact on goal setting and self-confidence in sport settings

Abstract

<p>This study investigated the relationships of the five types of imagery, Cognitive-Specific (CS), Cognitive-General (CG), Motivational-Specific (MS), Motivational General-Mastery (MGM), and Motivational General-Arousal (MG-A), and athletes' imagery ability with goal setting and self-confidence in sport settings. Based on prior research, it was expected that MS imagery would be the imagery type that would correlate most highly with goal setting while MG-M imagery would correlate most with self-confidence. It was also expected that imagery ability would correlate with goal setting and self-confidence. Participants (N=100) from six Division I athletics teams and two Division I universities completed a packet of questionnaires measuring goal setting, self-confidence (Carolina Sports Confidence Inventory), type of imagery used (Sport Imagery Questionnaire), and imagery ability (Movement Imagery Questionnaire). Linear regression analyses showed that MS imagery was not significantly correlated with goal setting, and that imagery ability was not significantly correlated with either goal setting or self-confidence. MG-M imagery was, though, found to correlate significantly with self-confidence. These results supported only one expected relationship, between MG-M imagery and self-confidence, and point to a possible lack of clarity regarding imagery types and their effects in sport settings.</p>