The relationship between working memory capacity and motor imagery ability between young and elderly people

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Sport Science faculty of education psychology university of Shiraz iran

2 Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Shiraz< Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between motor imagery and the working memory capacity of young and older adults. The research sample included 40 participants (20 older adults and 20 young). The N-back test was used to measure working memory and the motor imagery questionnaire was used to check motor imagery ability. Participants completed the mentioned tests in a quiet environment. Among the components of the N-back test, four components were selected for both the young and the elderly: the number of correct answers, the percentage of correct answers, the standard deviation of response time, and the mean of response time. In addition, the relationship of these components with the subscales of visual and motor imagery was investigated. Also, the components of working memory and motor imagery were compared in young and older adults. Results showed that in the youth group, motor imagery was negatively correlated with time components of the working memory test. In the older group, the motor imagery subscale was positively correlated with the accuracy subscales of the working memory test. However, the visual imagery ability in the young group had no significant correlation with any subscale of the working memory test. This subscale was correlated with the percentage of correct answers in the older adult participants. It is possible that younger participants used a time-sensitive strategy and older participants used an accuracy-dependent strategy. Also, it is possible that the participants used more of their kinesthetic sense in creating motor images in the mind.

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