Chronometry of mentally versus physically practiced tasks in people with stroke.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronometry is appropriate for monitoring engagement in mental practice by comparing the time taken for people with chronic stroke to mentally and physically practice five tasks. METHOD Eighteen stroke participants mentally and physically rehearsed each task. Time was recorded for each of the three trials per task. RESULTS Participants required significantly more time to physically practice than to mentally practice tasks (all p < .05). A significantly greater amount of time for mental practice of the more-affected arm than for the less-affected arm was also observed (p < .01). CONCLUSION Because there was no agreement between the time taken to mentally and physically practice the tasks, chronometry does not appear to be valid for monitoring mental practice in this population.