Mental repetition of a movement, even as simple as raising an arm or as complex as performing a high jump, results in a moderate increase in the level of activation of the muscle districts involved in the actual execution. It is a process analogous to that which takes place in the actual movement and also results in feedback information to the brain that is perceptible to the subject. It occurs in the following way:
1. The person imagines jumping focusing on the action of the legs (information from the brain to the muscles)
2. The leg muscles contract (effect on the muscles of mental repetition)
3. The person feels the sensations from that part of the body (information back from the muscles to the brain).
This result is known under the name Carpenter effect and confirms the relevance of thought to movement. Mental repetition immediately before a motor or sports performance puts the body in a condition of physical and psychological readiness that predisposes the individual to perform it effectively.
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