Effects of attentional focus on imagery-guided action with closed eyes

Objectives The current study tested whether the closed eyes guided by imagery is affected by the focus of attention similarly to visually guided action. Motor performance is typically enhanced when participants use an external focus of attention directed to the goal of the action, instead of an internal focus on the motor elements of the action itself. I tested whether such enhancements are also found when participants controlled their action using imagery by executing actions without visual feedback. Methods In Experiment 1, participants drew a straight line with the eyes closed on a graphics tablet, focusing either on (1) a mental image of the goal landmark (external focus of attention), (2) a mental image of their fingers relative to a straight line (internal focus of attention), or (3) without a specific instruction. In Experiment 2, participants threw darts blindly at a dartboard. Their attentional focus was again either directed externally or internally, in addition to a control condition without instruction. Results Of the experiments revealed an advantage of image representations in motor control. External focus of attention, over both an internal focus and no specific focus of attention, similar to what is usually found during eyes-open performance. Conclusions Of these results reveal that imagery-guided closed eyes relies on similar mental processes as actual performance and point to a direct role.