Imagery ability
A pre-experiment questionnaire was administered to establish the participants’ imagery ability prior to the imagery intervention. Questions focused on how easy it is for the participant to image and the vividness of these images. For example, how easy is it for the participants to image staying positive after setbacks. This helped to control for potential confounding variables as research has shown imagery ability influences the effectiveness of imagery (Gregg, Hall, McGowan, & Hall, 2011). Therefore, this may have affected the participants’ self-efficacy and dart-throwing performance along with the independent variable, which would threaten the internal validity of the experiment. Furthermore, re-administering the screening measure post-intervention will also allow improvements in imagery ability to be analysed. Mean imagery ability scores, …show more content…
FI=Facilitative imagery, DI=debilitative imagery, FST=facilitative self-talk, DST=debilitative self-talk.
Social desirability
Because self-report questionnaires were used, participants may have responded in a socially desirable manner that is favourable to the experiment aims; thus jeopardising the internal validity of the research. For example, if the participants deduced they were in the facilitative imagery and self-talk condition, they may have consciously or subconsciously responded to the questions in a manner which portrayed the imagery and self-talk to have a facilitative influence, even if this was untrue.
To prevent social desirability from occurring, the participants were ensured of anonymity and given instructions on how to use imagery and self-talk effectively, for example, the participants were told to image whilst having their eyes closed, standing in the position they will throw from during the trials. This was to ensure the intervention was successful so the participants would answer truthfully without the need to use socially desirable responses.
Manipulation
A pre-experiment questionnaire was administered to establish the participants’ imagery ability prior to the imagery intervention. Questions focused on how easy it is for the participant to image and the vividness of these images. For example, how easy is it for the participants to image staying positive after setbacks. This helped to control for potential confounding variables as research has shown imagery ability influences the effectiveness of imagery (Gregg, Hall, McGowan, & Hall, 2011). Therefore, this may have affected the participants’ self-efficacy and dart-throwing performance along with the independent variable, which would threaten the internal validity of the experiment. Furthermore, re-administering the screening measure post-intervention will also allow improvements in imagery ability to be analysed. Mean imagery ability scores, …show more content…
FI=Facilitative imagery, DI=debilitative imagery, FST=facilitative self-talk, DST=debilitative self-talk.
Social desirability
Because self-report questionnaires were used, participants may have responded in a socially desirable manner that is favourable to the experiment aims; thus jeopardising the internal validity of the research. For example, if the participants deduced they were in the facilitative imagery and self-talk condition, they may have consciously or subconsciously responded to the questions in a manner which portrayed the imagery and self-talk to have a facilitative influence, even if this was untrue.
To prevent social desirability from occurring, the participants were ensured of anonymity and given instructions on how to use imagery and self-talk effectively, for example, the participants were told to image whilst having their eyes closed, standing in the position they will throw from during the trials. This was to ensure the intervention was successful so the participants would answer truthfully without the need to use socially desirable responses.
Manipulation