Motor Skills Laboratory

Motor Imagery and Transfer

DartsImagery Recruitment Flyer.pdf

Description
We are seeking participants for a UBC study to investigate how just imagining practicing a motor skill can actually help us learn to physically perform it, and can improve our physical performance. We are interested in how practicing physically versus practicing via motor imagery (the mental rehearsal of a physical action without actually moving; imagining how a movement looks and feels), or simple observation of an action execution, can differently impact not only motor learning, but also the transfer of a learned skill from a trained arm to the opposite, untrained arm. In this research study, you will be asked to perform a simple dart throwing task, and/or imagine/observe the performance of this task.

This study is being run in the Motor Skills Lab in the School of Kinesiology (principal investigator is Dr. Nicola Hodges). It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 2-3 hours total, split up between two days within about a week period (day 1 expected to be ~80 minutes-2 hours, day 2 expected to be ~30-45 minutes). A $25 honorarium will be provided to participants upon completion of the study. A resume is not required to partake in the study, we simply ask that participants meet all the qualifications listed. If you meet these qualifications, please email kin.msl@ubc.ca and include “Darts Imagery” in the subject line. In your email, please include a UBC email address (if available), a phone number, and your availability over the next 2 weeks.

Qualifications:
We are looking for individuals who are/have:
• Between 18-55 years old
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• No known physical or neurological disorders or injuries that impede upper body movements
• Must be able to understand and speak English
• Must be able to conjure mental visualizations (be non-aphantasic)
• Must be a novice dart player/not played darts on any regular basis or high skill level

Human Ethics H24-03983: Version 2 – June 22, 2025