Assessing motor imagery using the hand rotation task: Does performance change across childhood?

•Hand rotation task commonly used to investigate motor imagery ability in children.•This study provides a picture of performance on the task across childhood.•Hand rotation task engages children in motor imagery.•Younger than 7 years, children may not have the cognitive capacity to complete task.•Age and motor skills were significant predictors of hand rotation performance.

This study examined at what age children can engage in the hand rotation task (as a measure of motor imagery); whether engagement changes across development and; the influence of age and motor skill on performance. Children were aged 5–12 years (N = 101; 52 girls), with no IQ or motor skill impairment. Less than 40% of 5–6 year olds completed the hand rotation with sufficient accuracy for further analysis, compared with 80% of 7–8 year olds, and 90% aged 9 and above. From age 7, either or both response time (RT) and accuracy conformed to the biomechanical constraints of corresponding physical movements. Although RT did not improve with age, accuracy did, with 11 year olds significantly more accurate than 7 and 8 year olds. Importantly, efficiency (RT/accuracy) improved with age and both age, in months, and motor skill level were significant predictors of efficiency, accounting for 35% and 8% of variability, respectively. Improvements in motor imagery ability during childhood are likely the result of increased neural efficiency, developing as the result of complex interactions between endogenous and exogenous factors. This highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to further our understanding of the emergence of motor imagery ability.