The role of visual movement imagery in kinaesthetic sensitivity and motor performance

The relationship between vividness of visual movement imagery and performance on tests of kinaesthetic sensitivity was examined in high school students by comparing performance on three tests of kinaesthesis by high and low imagery students, selected using the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire. High imagers performed significantly better than low imagers when relying on kinaesthetic information. Level of movement imagery predicted performance on a motor task (a manual placement task) when the task was performed in the absence of visual cues (blindfolded). These results reflect the reliance on visual information when performing motor tasks and indicate that, in the absence of visual cues, such information is created from kinaesthetic input via visual imagery. This has important implications for our understanding of the development of kinaesthesis and motor control and may contribute to the development of remedial programmes for children with poor motor ability.