Determining the optimal duration of mental practice for a self-paced putting task

The effectiveness of different mental practice durations (2, 5, 10, or 20min) on participants' (N=104) putting accuracy on a simulated golf course green was examined. Participants were randomly assigned to mental practice groups, which received guided imagery intervention, or control groups, which performed a cognitive distraction task of equivalent duration to the respective mental practice group. Imagery sessions were followed by a manipulation check and an acquisition period of 4 trial blocks (5 putts each). The next day, a retention test was completed (2 trial blocks, 5 putts each). Separate Group x Trial Block ANOVAs with repeated measures on the last factor were conducted for absolute, radial and variable error (AE, RE and VE, respectively) during acquisition and retention. RE scores were significantly lower for the mental practice groups compared to control groups during the acquisition period. More importantly, AE and VE scores indicated that all mental practice groups performed better than control groups during acquisition and retention. In comparison to the other durations that were tested, no particular practice duration was identified as being more advantageous. The findings support the notion that limited mental rehearsal periods may be adequate in facilitating performance of simple self-paced tasks.