Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire

: The present study was conducted to develop a Japanese version of the sport imagery ability questionnaire (SIAQ) and examine the features that determine imaging ability depending on the athlete’s competition level and competitive characteristics. In study 1, a questionnaire survey was conducted using the collective survey method. The subjects belonged to an athletic club at University A (N=196). Content validity was confirmed using the Content Validity Index, and factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure (subscale): skill imagery, strategy imagery, goal imagery, and mastery imagery. Furthermore, the results confirmed the reliability of using Cronbach’s α-coefficient. In study 2, a questionnaire survey was conducted in July 2017 using the collective survey method. The subjects were students of Physical Education University A (N=609). In order to confirm the test-retest reliability, a retest was carried out 2 weeks later. The results showed that athletes at a higher competitive level found it significantly easier to generate skill imagery, goal imagery, and sport imagery, and that skill imagery, goal imagery, mastery imagery and sport imagery reflected the competitive characteristics of the subjects. In addition, the test-retest reliability of the Japanese version of the SIAQ was confirmed. The Japanese version of the SIAQ developed in the present study will be useful for future research on imagery and image training in sports fields.