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December 3, 2004

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Mental rehearsal has been used successfully by golfers (Jack Nicklaus said he "watched a movie in his head before each shot"), baseball players (before each turn at bat during his 70-home-run season, Mark McGwire "imagined smashing the ball with his Paul Bunyan swing"), pianists (imprisoned seven years during China's Cultural Revolution, Liu Chi Kung daily "practiced every piece I ever played, note by note, in my mind," later was back on tour playing better than ever, said the critics), figure skaters, dart throwers, and on and on. But what's a key pitfall here, and how can it be avoided?

    A. When college students facing exams were told to visualize scanning the posted grade list, seeing their "A" then beaming with joy, and to do this five minutes every day, their scores averaged only two points better than those of a control group, says David G. Myers in "Psychology, 7th Edition." But another group focused on the process of studying, envisioning themselves reading the chapters, taking notes, ignoring distractions, declining to go on a date, etc. These test-takers started studying sooner, stayed with it longer, and wound up beating the controls by eight points. Advises Myers: "Better to spend your fantasy time planning how to get something than to dwell on the imagined destination."


     
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