What is motor imagery and where does the idea of using it to improve language acquisition come from?

Motor imagery is defined as the mental simulation of an action without performing the movement. Previous studies show that physical expertise or practice can improve language processing: For example, scientists have shown that specific sensory-motor expertise, such as ice hockey, improves the comprehension of sentences referring to this domain. The authors also included in their study hockey fans (non-players), and showed similar results, whereas these results were not observed in novices. Thus, experience or familiarity with specific actions, even without "real" physical practice, is sufficient to improve understanding of language related to a domain.

This result is related to recent neuroimaging data that links performing, observing and imagining an action to common brain areas stimulation. Imagining an action would thus involve the mental simulation of an action without concomitant execution of the action. The frequent practice of motor imagery would improve physical performance, as shown by certain studies and its frequent practice by high-level athletes.

Based on this type of work, researchers from the Laboratory of Psychology and Neurocognition (CNRS/UGA/USMB) have proposed that training in motor imagery could improve language comprehension. To do this, some participants had to imagine themselves performing certain actions for 15 minutes, focusing on the sensory or physical aspects that are provided by the mental simulation of the action. Other participants had to imagine static landscapes, not involving motor imagery. The scientists expected that training in motor imagery would mobilize interactions between the motor and language systems, and thus improve language comprehension processing.

The research team observed that, regardless of the number of training sessions performed, and contrary to those imagining static landscapes, participants trained in motor imagery showed better performance on a language task involving access to word meaning.

This study evaluates for the first time the effect of kinesthetic motor imagery training on language processing, and thus opens promising avenues for new methods of language learning, and for the management of language difficulties or disorders in certain pathologies.