Effect of Motor Imagery Training on Motor Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Behrendt, F., Zumbrunnen, V., Brem, L., Suica, Z., Gäumann, S., Ziller, C., Gerth, U., & Schuster-Amft, C. · 2021
grade Dreviewindependentunreplicated
Population
934 children and adolescents aged 9-18 (healthy and clinical), 22 RCTs
Design
Systematic review of 22 RCTs of motor-imagery training in youth. Heterogeneity was so severe that only 2 of 22 studies (n=66, tennis serve) could be pooled, so the meta-analytic numbers rest on two small trials. Only 2 of 22 studies included any retention test. GRADE LOW to VERY LOW; no study rated low risk of bias overall.
Key findings
Motor imagery in youth looks impressive on a vote count (19/22 positive) and on huge pooled SMDs (0.83-1.87), but the pooled estimates come from just 2 small tennis studies, no study was low risk of bias, GRADE is LOW/VERY LOW, and only 2 of 22 tested retention. This is the exact profile of a literature whose effects deflate later: small n, researcher-designed outcomes, immediate post-tests, near-universal positive results.
Replication notes
No preregistered replications identified; the uniformly-positive-small-studies pattern matches literatures that collapse under bias correction.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennis serve accuracy (pooled, 2 studies) | SMD | 1.05 [0.53, 1.57] | researcher-designed | acquisition; immediate post-test; field (tennis court) | unclear | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Tennis serve ball velocity (pooled, 2 studies) | SMD | 0.83 [0.33, 1.34] | researcher-designed | acquisition; immediate post-test; field | unclear | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Combined serve performance (2 studies) | SMD | 1.87 [0.64, 3.10] — very wide CI, n=66 | researcher-designed | acquisition; immediate post-test; field | unclear | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Vote count across the full review | studies reporting significant benefit | 19 of 22 significant — but 0 studies at low risk of bias, GRADE LOW/VERY LOW | mixed | acquisition; immediate; mixed | unclear | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Durable learning evidence | studies including a retention test | Only 2 of 22 — durability in youth is essentially untested | mixed | retention; largely absent | none | not-applicable | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Feedback frequency and mental practice in motor learningmixedconf: highgc: low