Effect of Motor Imagery and Self-Talk Combined with Physical Exercise on Motor Memory Consolidation in Adolescents

Consolidation in motor memory depends on various factors. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of physical exercise (PE (combined with motor imagery (MI) and self-talk (ST) on motor memory consolidation in adolescents.

The participants were 45 unskilled right-handed young males (13 ± 1.8 years), randomly divided into three groups of PE, ST + PE, and MI + PE. After the pre-test participants practiced finger overhead passing and forearm passing for 3 sessions on three consecutive days. The acquisition test was performed immediately after the last training session and the retention one a week after that.

The results of ANOVA with repeated measures indicated that all three groups had experienced consolidation. We found that better performance means of the combined ST+PE group with that of the MI+PE one and the PE group (P = 0.005). Comparing motor performance indicated that the combined ST group, more than the other two groups, and the combined MI group experienced more enhancements in consolidating their motor memory than the PE group (P = 0.005).

Overall, these findings indicated the importance of ST in improving motor memory consolidation.