title: Imagery use in elite youth sport participants: reinforcing the applied significance of achievement goal theory.
abstract: This study examined the motivational profiles of elite youth athletes to determine whether individual differences in goal orientation corresponded with differential levels of imagery use. Two hundred ninety male (n = 88) and female (n = 202) young athletes (M = 16.6 years, SD = 1.48) completed the Perceptions of Success Questionnaire (POSQ, Roberts, Treasure, & Balague, 1998) to assess dispositional goal orientations and the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998) to assess frequency and function of imagery use. A two-stage cluster analysis on the POSQ scores revealed a three-cluster solution with a multivariate analysis of variance indicating significant differences among cluster groups in imagery use. Athletes in Cluster 3 (higher task/higher ego) used significantly more imagery, regardless of the function than athletes in Cluster 1 (lower task/moderate ego) or Cluster 2 (moderate task/lower ego). These findings are discussed with reference to the role of achievement motivation in influencing young athletes' behavioral investments in mental strategies.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires