Introducing TAMI: an objective test of ability in movement imagery

Individual ability in mental imagery varies widely across individuals, leading to the development of questionnaires to evaluate mental imagery. Within the domain of movement imagery, questionnaires have previously relied on subjective ratings of vividness, which may be influenced by additional factors such as motor skill confidence, success of imagined actions, and social desirability. These additional factors are of particular importance when making comparisons between samples from different populations, such as athletes versus nonathletes and patients versus healthy individuals. The authors present a novel test of ability in movement imagery (Test of Ability in Movement Imagery [TAMI]) that relies on objective measures and requires participants to make explicit imagined movements from an external perspective. In Study 1, the authors present evidence that young adults perform at a mid-level on the TAMI. In Study 2, they further compare performance on the TAMI with a battery of other measures to better characterize the TAMI by determining its similarities and differences with existing measures. The findings of both studies indicate the TAMI to be a valid and reliable measure of movement imagery ability. The authors additionally discuss future applications of the TAMI to athletic and clinical research.