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I conclude the chapter section on thinking with a brief discussion of the effects of mental practice on skilled motor performance. Believing in such effects, many athletes now mentally ski their slalom course, make their free throws, or execute their gymnastic routine. Might there also be payoffs to mentally simulating successful academic performance?

In a paper in the April, 1998 American Psychologist ("Harnessing the Imagination: Mental Simulation, Self-Regulation, and Coping"), Shelley Taylor and three UCLA colleagues explore the surprising benefits derived by mentally simulating how one might achieve a goal.

In one study, she and Lien Pham engaged intro psych students who would be taking a midterm exam in five to seven days. Some were told to imagine a positive outcome (visualizing themselves scanning the posted grade list, seeing their A, beaming with joy, feeling confident, feeling proud) and to repeat this "outcome simulation" for five minutes each day before the exam. This had little effect, adding only two points to exam scores compared to control subjects not engaged in mental simulation.

Another group of students were instructed to imagine themselves studying in a way that would lead to an A (visualizing themselves studying the chapters, going over notes, eliminating distractions, declining an offer to go out). These students were also told to repeat this "process simulation" for five minutes each day. Compared to the control students, these students began studying earlier, spent more hours studying, and beat the control group exam average by nearly eight points.

Based on this and other experiments, Taylor and her co-authors conclude that it is better to spend your fantasy time planning how to get there than it is to dwell on the destination.


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Myers, Myers Psychology Ninth Edition
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