Temporal Accuracy of Mentally Simulated Transport Movements

Abstract

Several studies have indicated a clear correspondence in the durations of active versus mentally simulated actions. The present study examined whether this would also be found when a new and unfamiliar task (the pedalo) was given to 15 sports students aged 21 to 27 years, and the range of mental simulation was extended to cover two different modalities. Despite several modifications of experimental procedure, results always showed high correlations between actual and mental durations similar to those reported for walking by Decety, Jeannerod, and Prablanc in 1989. There were also higher scores on absolute error. However, there were no significant differences between mental simulations with open versus closed eyes. It is concluded that the timing of the execution and mental simulation of closed and cyclical movements is interrelated and based on common mechanisms.