Does mental practice still enhance performance? A 24-year follow-up and meta-analytic replication and extension
Toth, A. J., McNeill, E., Hayes, K., Moran, A. P., & Campbell, M. · 2020
grade Creplicationdeveloper-involvedreplicated
Population
37 studies, 115 effects; mixed adult samples across sport, skill and lab tasks
Design
Methodological replication of Driskell et al. (1994) applied to 37 studies published 1995-2018 yielding 115 effect sizes, framed around contemporary reproducibility concerns. Same MP-vs-control logic; tasks span lab and sport-specific. Co-authored by Moran (author of the 1994 original), so not adversarial.
Key findings
Mental practice survives replication but shrinks: r=0.131 (d≈0.26) across 37 newer studies, roughly half Driskell's r=.255 — the familiar pattern of famous effects deflating as a literature matures. Still positive and significant. Moderated by duration (1-6 weeks best), externally vs internally cued tasks, and imagery type. Most outcomes are post-intervention performance, not delayed retention or transfer.
Replication notes
Successful directional replication of Driskell 1994 at roughly half the magnitude.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental practice vs control, overall | correlation r (≈ d 0.26) | r = 0.131 — about HALF the 1994 estimate (r = .255) | mixed | mostly acquisition/immediate post-test; lab and field mix | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Programme-duration moderator | r by programme length | Strongest for programmes lasting 1-6 weeks | mixed | acquisition; mixed | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Task-type moderator | r by cue type | Stronger for externally cued than internally cued movement tasks | mixed | acquisition; mixed | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Imagery-type moderator | r by imagery modality | Significant moderator (visual vs kinesthetic distinctions matter) | mixed | acquisition; mixed | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Feedback frequency and mental practice in motor learningmixedconf: highgc: low