Athlete Imagery Ability and Effective Imagery Use

The aim of this thesis was to extend existing imagery ability literature. After reviewing the literature in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 validated and modified the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised to provide a more comprehensive assessment of movement imagery ability. Known as the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3, it was employed in Chapter 3 to examine the influence of prior movement and prior observation on an individual’s external visual imagery, internal visual imagery, and kinaesthetic imagery ability. The Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire (SIAQ) was developed and extensively validated in Chapter 4 to provide a more comprehensive measure of athlete imagery ability. Chapter 5 demonstrated the SIAQ’s predictive validity by investigating the interplay between imagery ability, trait confidence, and challenge and threat appraisal tendencies. Finally Chapter 6 used the SIAQ as a screening tool when investigating whether imagery could be used to alter the appraisal of a stress-evoking scenario. Overall, the thesis has resulted in two new valid and reliable assessments of imagery ability. Additionally, this research extends imagery ability literature by establishing how imagery ability can be improved, demonstrating imagery ability’s association with various outcomes, and highlighting the importance of assessing different imagery content.