Publication Date
6-1981
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
Daniel Roenker, Sebastiano Fisicaro, Richard Miller
Degree Program
Department of Psychology
Degree Type
Master of Arts
Abstract
A total of 180 introductory psychology students from Western Kentucky University were tested with their left hands on the rotary pursuit apparatus. Practice conditions consisted of the following: imagery of the rotor's light movements (stimulus component), imagery of pursuit-type arm movements (response component), imagery of both light movements and arm movements, imagery of the integrated task, and a no practice control group. Nine-minute rest periods were given to half of the subjects in each of these conditions. In addition to providing a better understanding of the processes underlying mental imagery through the breakdown of its components, differences between the stimulus and the response groups would have allowed an assessment of the two theories of work decrement. Although the results did support the use of mental imagery as an aid to skill acquisition, conclusions could not be made regarding the two theories of work decrement. The failure to demonstrate work decrement raised doubt about the reliability of the results.
Disciplines
Applied Behavior Analysis | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Jennings, Bruce, "A Comparison of the Central & Peripheral Theories of Work Decrement Through the Separation of Stimulus & Response Components in the Mental Imagery of a Motor Task" (1981). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 3188.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3188