The Impact of Meaningful vs. Neutral Symbol Visualization on Sport-Related Performance (WRE)

Study Rationale and Importance

This study is guided by Jung's theory of symbols, symbolic interactionism, and the concept of personal meaning. Jung proposed that symbols can evoke emotional and psychological responses because they carry personally meaningful associations. From this perspective, a symbol may have psychological influence not because of its physical characteristics alone, but because of the meaning an individual attaches to it. Symbolic interactionism similarly suggests that individuals develop meanings through social interaction and use those meanings to understand themselves and guide behavior. Within sport, identity is also shaped through symbolic meanings and social interactions, with athletic identity potentially influencing commitment, behavior, and perceptions of the self within the sporting environment. Meaningful symbols may therefore serve as cues that reinforce aspects of athletic identity, competitiveness, and perceptions of capability.

The use of imagery as a psychological skills training (PST) technique provides an additional foundation for this investigation. Mental imagery is widely used in sport psychology and has been associated with athletic performance and psychological outcomes. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses indicate that imagery interventions can improve aspects of athletic performance and may influence psychological variables such as confidence and self-efficacy. A 2025 multilevel meta-analysis of 86 studies involving more than 3,500 athletes found that imagery practice was associated with improvements in athletic performance, including muscle strength, while also emphasizing the need for additional rigorous research. Research examining psychological interventions in sport has similarly found potential benefits of imagery and other psychological skills interventions for athletic performance, although methodological limitations indicate that additional controlled research is warranted.

The present study extends the existing imagery literature by examining whether the psychological meaning attached to the image matters. Rather than using a standardized sport-performance image or generic visualization, the study uses an animal symbol selected by the athlete because of its personal meaning. The animal may represent characteristics such as strength, speed, aggression, persistence, dominance, confidence, or competitiveness. Consequently, the symbol may function as an individualized psychological cue that activates or reinforces characteristics the athlete associates with competitive performance. This approach is consistent with research suggesting that imagery can influence psychological states while also extending traditional imagery interventions toward more individualized and personally meaningful symbolic content.

Despite the widespread use of animal imagery, mascots, animal representations, and animal-associated characteristics in sport, there is limited empirical research examining whether a personally meaningful animal symbol can be intentionally used as a psychological tool to enhance competitiveness in athletes and influence athletic performance. In particular, little is known about whether an animal symbol that has personal psychological meaning to an athlete can activate or reinforce competitive characteristics, competitive readiness, and perceptions of capability, resulting in measurable physiological, psychological, or physical performance responses. This represents an important gap because existing research provides evidence for imagery and psychological skills training generally, but considerably less is known about whether a personally meaningful symbolic stimulus can serve as an intentional performance cue.

The present pilot study addresses this gap by comparing a five-minute visualization involving a personally meaningful animal symbol with a neutral wooden-block visual stimulus in collegiate wrestlers. The study will examine whether the two conditions are associated with differences in grip strength, and wrestling-specific rope-climb performance, while trait sport-confidence will characterize baseline individual differences. In doing so, the study provides an initial examination of whether an animal symbol can serve as a psychological cue for enhancing competitiveness and performance in athletes.

Research Question Does exposure to a personally meaningful animal symbol produce different physiological, psychological, or performance-related responses relevant to competitiveness than exposure to a neutral wooden-block visual stimulus? The study is exploratory and is intended to assess feasibility and preliminary effects rather than provide definitive evidence of efficacy. Because the study does not include a direct state competitiveness scale, competitiveness will be interpreted cautiously through the pattern of psychological, physiological, and performance-related responses. The findings will provide preliminary information about whether personally meaningful animal symbolism is a viable psychological performance strategy and whether the study procedures and outcome measures are appropriate for a larger, adequately powered investigation.

Potential Contribution to Psychological Skills Training and Wrestling This study has the potential to contribute to psychological skills training and the field of sports psychology by examining personally meaningful symbolic imagery as a novel performance strategy. Traditional PST commonly incorporates techniques such as imagery, self-talk, goal setting, attentional control, and arousal regulation. The present study extends this work by examining whether an individualized animal symbol can function as a brief psychological cue that activates competitiveness, competitive readiness, and perceptions of capability. If supported by future research, personally meaningful symbols could potentially be incorporated into individualized pre-performance routines as an additional mental skills strategy.

The study may also contribute to the field of wrestling by examining this approach within a collegiate wrestling population and using a wrestling-specific rope-climb performance task. Wrestling requires athletes to repeatedly access physical effort, confidence, focus, and competitive readiness under demanding conditions. A brief symbolic intervention that could be incorporated into training or pre-competition preparation may offer coaches and athletes another potential tool for psychological preparation.

More broadly, the study may help establish a foundation for investigating whether symbolic meaning can be intentionally leveraged within sport to influence competitive behavior and performance. Rather than treating animal symbols solely as representations of team identity or personal identity, this research explores whether they can function as intentional psychological performance cues. Because this is a pilot study, the findings will not establish that animal-symbol visualization enhances competitiveness or performance; instead, they will provide preliminary evidence regarding the feasibility, potential effects, and measurement of this novel approach and help determine whether larger, controlled studies are warranted.