Developmental trajectories of motor imagery in relation to physical fitness in children aged 7 to 14 years : a 1-year follow-up study

Šlosar, Luka (author), Puš, Katarina (author), Marušič, Uroš (author)

Motor imagery (MI) is fundamentally linked to the motor system. It improves motor learning and optimizes motor actions without physical execution, highlighting its unique role in rehabilitation programs and motor performance. Understanding the developmental trajectories of MI and the factors influencing its variability across ages could enable more effective, age-specific strategies for pediatric rehabilitation. This study assessed 65 children aged 7 to 14 years at two time points 1 year apart. MI ability was assessed using the Movement Imagery Questionnaire for Children, and physical fitness was evaluated using the SLOfit testing battery. Among the three perspectives assessed; internal visual imagery (IVI), external visual imagery (EVI), and kinesthetic imagery (KI), KI was unique in not correlating with age at both time points. The development of MI perspectives varied between athletes and non-athletes, with non-athletes showing a decline in IVI compared with athletes. This differential was further evidenced by significant differences in KI between the groups at the second assessment, with a similar trend observed at the first assessment. Of the physical fitness tests, only the 600-m run correlated consistently with KI at both assessments. Our findings suggest that regular participation in sports significantly affects KI performance, highlighting the importance of sports participation for the development of MI abilities in children. Future research should examine additional assessment points in different age groups and sport experience to better understand the development of MI and its potential implications for pediatric rehabilitation.

• Language: English
• Keywords: motor imagery, physical fitness, childhood development, pediatric rehabilitation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 249, art. 106115
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-164603
• UDC: 796.01:612.821
• ISSN on article: 0022-0965
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106115
• COBISS.SI-ID: 213087235

Copyright

Licenca CC BY-NC 4.0 je navedena na pristajalni strani članka (glej izvorni URL zgoraj). (Datum opombe: 5. 11. 2024)

• Publication date in RUL: 05.11.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of experimental child psychology
• Shortened title: J. exp. child psychol.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0022-0965
• COBISS.SI-ID: 721173

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: gibalna predstava, telesna pripravljenost, razvoj otrok, pediatrična rehabilitacija, gibanje, otroci, medicinska rehabilitacija