Lee Moore

University of Bath | UB · Department for Health

This study investigated the effects of psychological pressure on cognitive anxiety, challenge and threat appraisals, gaze behaviour, and action performance during an esport task among national- and university-level competitors. In Experiment 1, 90 participants (67 male, 23 female; Mage = 20.57 years, SD = 2.26), divided into national (n = 33) and u...

Background and objectives: Recent research has shown that lifetime stressor exposure can negatively impact sport performers. However, this work has predominantly relied on quantitative methods, which has provided limited information regarding how stressors occurring over the life course affect health, well-being, and performance. This study aimed...

Introduction: Experiencing psychological stress may affect clinician performance in acute emergencies. While simulation is used extensively in healthcare education, it is unknown whether simulation effectively replicates the psychophysiological stress of real-world conditions. Thus, this study explored whether measurable differences exist in psych...

Greater lifetime stressor exposure has been related to negative health outcomes (e.g., depression, cardiovascular disease). However, the relationship between lifetime stressor exposure and sporting performance is less clear. Furthermore, while the prevalence of mental health issues among elite athletes has been relatively well established, it appea...

Although greater lifetime stressor exposure has been associated with physical and mental health issues in the general population, relatively little is known about how lifetime stressors impact the physical and mental health of elite athletes or the factors moderating this association. Given that many elite athletes show signs of perfectionism, and...

This study addressed whether lifetime stressor exposure was associated with psychophysiological reactivity and habituation to a novel laboratory-based stressor. Eighty-six participants ( M age = 23.31 years, SD = 4.94) reported their exposure to lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressors before completing two consecutive trials of the Trier So...

The ruck area is responsible for the second-highest number of rugby union injuries, therefore it is necessary to investigate and understand the ruck better for improved player safety. The study aimed to investigate and compare incidents of legal and illegal ruck cleanouts in non-professional youth rugby. Using Nacpsort Scout Plus software, 118 Sout...

This study examined the effect of slow diaphragmatic breathing on psychophysiological stress responses and pressurized performance. Sixty-seven participants (40 female; M age = 20.17 ± 2.77 years) were randomly assigned to either a diaphragmatic-breathing, paced-breathing, or control group. Participants completed a nonpressurized shooting task and...

This study compared the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 (YYIR1) and Bronco tests among amateur rugby referees and examined whether the results of these tests were associated with actual match demands. Sixty-seven (65 male, 2 female; 30±11 years; 77.4±13.1 kg; 175±8 cm) amateur rugby referees participated. Match demands were assessed using Globa...

The present study aimed to examine the effect of a quiet eye training (QET) intervention compared to a technical training (TT) intervention on the visual control and performance of rugby union goal-kickers. Male rugby union players ( n = 18, M age = 21.35 years, SD = 2.03) were randomly assigned into a QET or TT group. Participants completed a pre-...

Sant'Anna, RT, Roberts, SP, Moore, LJ, and Stokes, KA. Physical demands of refereeing rugby sevens matches at different competitive levels. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The aim of this study was to compare the physical demands of officiating across different competitive levels in rugby sevens. An observational design was used involving...

Research has found that greater lifetime stressor exposure increases the risk for mental and physical health problems. Despite this, few studies have examined how stressors occurring over the entire lifespan affect sport performers’ health, well-being, and performance, partly due to the difficulty of assessing lifetime stressor exposure. To address...

This study quantified rugby referees’ decision-making accuracy at the breakdown in an elite rugby sevens tournament, examining whether decision-making accuracy differed over time, and if it was associated with match demands, score difference, field location, and referee positioning. During the National Sevens Tournament (six referees, 22 matches),...

Research suggests that elite athletes are at increased risk of poor mental health, partly due to the intense demands associated with top-level sport. Despite growing interest in the topic, the factors that influence the mental health and well-being of elite athletes remain unclear. From a theoretical perspective, the accumulation of stress and adve...

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the match demands of officiating 15-a-side rugby union at different competitive levels. Methods: Data was collected using Global Navigation Satellite Systems from 21 referees during 82 competitive rugby union matches across three different competitive levels: (1) professional, (2) semi-professio...

It has been well established that challenge and threat evaluations affect the performance of potentially stressful tasks. However, the factors that influence these evaluations have rarely been examined. Objective : This study examined the effects of ego depletion on challenge and threat evaluations during a public speaking task. Method : 262 part...

Background and Objectives: Individuals evaluate the demands and resources associated with a pressurized situation, which leads to distinct patterns of cardiovascular responses. While it is accepted that cognitive evaluations are updated throughout a pressurized situation, to date, cardiovascular markers have only been recorded immediately before, o...

This study examined the effects of ego depletion on challenge and threat states and cerebral hemodynamic responses to a pressurized muscular endurance task requiring self-control. Following the ethical approval, 58 participants (39 male, 19 female; Mage = 28 years, SD = 12) were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Partic...

Viewing stressful situations as more of a challenge than a threat (i.e., coping resources match or exceed situational demands) has been associated with better performance and long-term health. However, to date, little research has examined if individuals have tendencies to evaluate all stressful situations as more of a challenge or threat. Thus, th...

Objectives A psychophysiological response called a challenge state has been associated with better performance than a threat state. However, to date, challenge-promoting interventions have rarely been tested. Therefore, this study investigated whether instructional and/or motivational self-talk promoted a challenge state and improved task performan...

This paper presents the first two studies to explore the effect of challenge and threat states on endurance exercise capabilities. In study one, relationships between cardiovascular markers of challenge and threat states, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and exercise tolerance were explored during moderate- and severe-intensity cycling. Cardiov...

Compared to sports performers, relatively little is known about how sports officials make decisions at a perceptual-cognitive level. Thus, this study examined the decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour of rugby union referees of varying skill levels while reviewing scrum scenarios. Elite (n = 9) and trainee (n = 9) referees, as well as experie...

The integrative framework of stress, attention, and visuomotor performance was developed to explain the benefits of responding to competitive pressure with a challenge rather than a threat state. However, the specific predictions of this framework have not been tested. Forty-two participants completed 2 trials of a pressurized soccer penalty task....

Objectives: This study examined if challenge and threat states predicted nonverbal behavior during a pressurized soccer penalty task. Design: A predictive design was employed. Method: Forty-two participants (Mage = 24 years, SD = 7) completed the task. Before the task, challenge and threat states were assessed via demand resource evaluations and...

The biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat states specifies that these states engender different physiological and behavioral responses in potentially stressful situations. This model has received growing interest in the sport and performance psychology literature. The present systematic review examined whether a challenge state is associate...

Research suggests that experiencing a moderate number of adverse life events can benefit future stress responses. This study explored the relationship between adverse life (i.e., non-sport) events and cardiovascular responses to, and performance during, a pressurized sporting task. One hundred participants (64 men, 36 women; Mage = 21.94 years, SDa...

This study investigated the relationship between challenge and threat states and anaerobic power, core affect, perceived exertion, and self-focused attention during a competitive sprint cycling task. Thirty-five participants completed familiarization, baseline, and pressurized Wingate tests. Before the pressurized test, challenge and threat states...

Background and Objectives: This study examined the effects of arousal reappraisal on cardiovascular responses, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, performance and attention under pressurized conditions. A recent study by Moore et al. [2015. Reappraising threat: How to optimize performance under pressure. Journal of Sport and Exercise...

The aim of this article is to present an integrative conceptual framework that depicts the effect of acute stress on the performance of visually guided motor skills. We draw upon seminal theories highlighting the importance of subjective interpretations of stress on subsequent performance and outline how models of disrupted attentional control migh...

While the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient have been relatively well established, little is known about the benefits for the surgeon. This study examined whether the advantages of robotically assisted laparoscopy (improved dexterity, a 3-dimensional view, reduction in tremors, etc.) enable the surgeon to better deal with stressful tasks....

Competitive situations often hinge on one pressurized moment. In these situations, individuals' psychophysiological states determine performance, with a challenge state associated with better performance than a threat state. But what can be done if an individual experiences a threat state? This study examined one potential solution: arousal reappra...

Research has demonstrated the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient; however, research examining the benefits of robotic technology for the surgeon is limited. This study aimed to adopt validated measures of workload, mental effort, and gaze control to assess the benefits of robotic surgery for the surgeon. We predicted that the performance o...

Background: Understanding the influence of stress on human performance is of theoretical and practical importance. An individual's reaction to stress predicts their subsequent performance; with a "challenge" response to stress leading to better performance than a "threat" response. However, this contention has not been tested in truly stressful en...

Quiet eye training-teaching task-specific gaze control-has been consistently shown to optimize the acquisition of motor skills. The present study aimed to examine the potential benefits of a quiet eye training intervention in a simulated maritime marksmanship task that involved shooting fast approaching moving targets with a decommissioned general-...

Technical surgical skills are said to be acquired quicker on a robotic rather than laparoscopic platform. However, research examining this proposition is scarce. Thus, this study aimed to compare the performance and learning curves of novices acquiring skills using a robotic or laparoscopic system, and to examine if any learning advantages were mai...

Abstract How we learn and refine motor skills in the most effective manner and how we prevent performance breakdown in pressurised or demanding circumstances are among the most important questions within the sport psychology and skill acquisition literature. The quiet eye (QE) has emerged as a characteristic of highly skilled perceptual and motor p...

The present research examined the immediate impact of challenge and threat states on golf performance in both real competition and a laboratory-based task. In Study 1, 199 experienced golfers reported their evaluations of competition demands and personal coping resources before a golf competition. Evaluating the competition as a challenge (i.e., su...

The biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat (Blascovich, 2008) suggests that individuals who evaluate a performance situation as a challenge will perform better than those who evaluate it as a threat. However, limited research has examined (a) the influence of challenge and threat evaluations on learned motor performance under pressure and (b...

The aim of this study was to determine if Quiet Eye (QE)-training might act as a form of implicit motor learning; enabling trainees to maintain performance under pressure by limiting the accrual of explicit rules governing performance. Forty-five novice golfers performed 40 Baseline and 320 acquisition golf putts in one of three instruction groups...

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PURPOSE: The quiet eye (QE) is a characteristic of highly skilled perceptual and motor performance that has been shown to be sensitive to increases in anxiety. The present study is the first to examine changes in the QE at the precise point of performance failure under heightened anxiety. QE durations were compared for the first, penultimate (next...

Challenge and threat states predict future performance; however, no research has examined their immediate effect on motor task performance. The present study examined the effect of challenge and threat states on golf putting performance and several possible mechanisms. One hundred twenty-seven participants were assigned to a challenge or threat gro...

Quiet eye training expedites skill learning and facilitates anxiety-resistant performance. Changes in response programming and external focus of attention may explain such benefits. We examined the effects of quiet eye training on golf-putting performance, quiet eye duration, kinematics (clubhead acceleration), and physiological (heart rate, muscle...

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a brief quiet eye (QE) training intervention aimed at optimizing visuomotor control and putting performance of elite golfers under pressure, and in real competition. Twenty-two elite golfers (mean handicap 2.7) recorded putting statistics over 10 rounds of competitive golf before attending t...