Creating Adaptable Skills: A Nonlinear Pedagogy Approach to Mental Imagery

Abstract Existing mental imagery (MI) guidelines emphasize the need to replicate critical aspects of physical practice for optimal performance outcomes. However, more research should explore applying contemporary skill acquisition approaches, such as Nonlinear Pedagogy (NLP), to MI for skill development. From a NLP perspective, skilled behavior is predicated on coupling perceptual information and actual movement. This presents a challenge for stimulus-absent modes of practice such as MI. Recent findings indicate that although MI is stimulus-absent, suggesting it is incompatible with a NLP approach, it may also be sensitive to stimuli, potentially allowing for coupling to the environment. This paper aims to provide an alternative ecological dynamics explanation of MI to support the application of NLP principles to MI. Specific examples of NLP applied to MI are also outlined and discussed for practitioners.