EFFECT OF MENTAL IMAGERY AND SELF-TALK TRAINING ON THE ATTENTIONAL READINESS OF ATHLETES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

ABSTRACT: The study investigated the effect of mental imagery and self-talk training on attentional readiness of track and field athletes in University of Port Harcourt. It was recognized that successful athletic performance requires more than just physical conditioning or technical proficiency, and involves the athlete’s concentration and rapid and accurate reaction to relevant performance cues. A pre-test–post-test experimental design was used. The number of 20 track and field athletes were purposefully selected for the study. Attentional readiness was measured with an objective start-cue response test that measured response times to both auditory and visual cues before and after the intervention. A structured psychological skills intervention was provided with the athletes’ training programme which was supplemented by mental imagery and self-talk training. All data were analysed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The findings indicated that attentional readiness improved after the intervention with the mean response time noted at pre-test being 0.30 ± 0.01 second, while the mean response time at post-test was 0.25 ± 0.01 second; a mean improvement of 0.05 second. The findings suggest that combining mental imagery with self-talk improved athletes’ ability to focus on and react to cues for performance. The researchers found that mental imagery and self-talk training could be useful psychological skills interventions for enhancing attentional readiness among university track and field athletes. Incorporating structured imagery and self-talk techniques into the athletic preparation process as part of the athletes’ regular training should be encouraged alongside physical and technical preparation to enhance an athlete’s cognitive readiness for athletic performance.

KEYWORDS: Mental imagery, self-talk, attentional readiness, reaction time, track and field, athletes, psychological skills training, sport psychology.