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Effects of mental practice on rate of skill acquisition.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mental practice in increasing the rate of skill acquisition during a novel motor task. Twenty-six subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. The Control Group (n = 13) performed only physical practice; the Experimental Group (n = 13) performed both mental and physical practice. The task was to toss, by flexing the elbow, a Ping-Pong ball held in a cup on a forearm splint to a target. The biceps brachii muscle and the long and lateral heads of the triceps brachii muscle were monitored electromyographically to determine any changes occurring during skill acquisition. The Experimental Group's accuracy improved at a significantly greater rate than that of the Control Group. In addition, the Experimental Group demonstrated changes in timing variables that led to a more efficient movement. These changes included a decrease in time from the onset of muscle activity to peak activity and an increase in the time elapsed from the onset of agonist contraction to the onset of antagonist contraction. These results suggest that mental practice may be an important tool in facilitating the acquisition of a new motor skill.