Dr James Roberts
Sport and Exercise Sciences
Faculty of Science
Email: J.W.Roberts@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 2784
Dr James Roberts is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology. His teaching and research broadly encompasses the cognitive and neurobiological basis of human movement. Having obtained his BSc. (Hons) and PhD. within the school, he undertook a post-doctoral research position within the same lab involving the visual assessment and training of premier league football players. Therein, he assumed a post-doctoral research position in Prof. Digby Elliott's lab at McMaster University, where he examined the sensorimotor processes underpinning upper-limb manual control. This research position was extended through collaboration with the University of Toronto, where he also studied the corticospinal responses during movement observation. His final research position was at the School of Optometry and Vision Science of the University of Waterloo, which saw him alternatively venture into the development of dynamic visual assessments for Paralympic athletes with low vision. Upon returning to the UK, he took up the role of Lecturer in Motor Control at Liverpool Hope University before finally returning to where it all started. James' research interests are generally focused toward movement control in typical and atypical populations across the lifespan. In addition, he also holds an interest in the perceptual and cognitive factors underlying optimal sport performance.
Degrees
2012, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, PhD. Motor Behaviour
2009, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, BSc. (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
Academic appointments
Lecturer in Motor Control, School of Health Sciences, Liverpool Hope University, 2017 - 2019
Post-Doctoral Researcher, School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, 2016 - 2016
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto, 2015 - 2015
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, 2014 - 2015
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, 2012 - 2014
Journal article
Romano-Smith S, Roberts JW, Miller A, Wakefield C. 2024. Theoretical explanations and the availability of information for learning via combined action observation and motor imagery: A commentary on Eaves et al. (2022) Psychological Research, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Burkitt JJ, Elliott D. 2024. The type 1 submovement conundrum: an investigation into the function of velocity zero-crossings within two-component aiming movements Experimental Brain Research, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Ashton JS, Roberts JW, Wakefield CJ, MacLaren DPM, Marwood S, Malone JJ. 2023. Medium chain triglycerides with a C8:C10 ratio of 30:70 enhances cognitive performance and mitigates the cognitive decline associated with prolonged exercise Physiology and Behavior, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Simmonds P, Wakefield C, Coyles G, Roberts JW. 2023. Enhanced expectancies benefit performance under distraction, but compromise it under stress: exploring the OPTIMAL theory Human Movement Science, 89 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ. 2023. Does the threat of COVID-19 modulate automatic imitation? PLoS One, 18 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Maiden J, Bennett SJ. 2022. Impact of simulated target blur on the preparation and execution of aiming movements Visual Cognition, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Romano-Smith S, Roberts JW, Wood G, Coyles G, Wakefield C. 2022. Simultaneous and alternate combinations of action-observation and motor imagery involve a common lower-level sensorimotor process Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 63 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Towlson CP, Malone JJ. 2022. A survey on the English FA heading guidelines for youth soccer: evidence of compliance, but with limited knowledge of safety International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ. 2021. Online control of rapid target-directed aiming using blurred visual feedback Human Movement Science, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Elliott D, Burkitt J. 2021. Optimization in manual aiming: relating inherent variability and target size, and its influence on tendency Journal of Motor Behavior, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Grierson LEM. 2021. Contribution of retinal motion toward the impulse control of target-directed aiming American Journal of Psychology, 134 :285-297 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Gerber N, Wakefield C, Simmonds P. 2021. Dissociating the influence of perceptual biases and contextual artefacts within target configurations during the planning and control of visually guided action Motor Control, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Maiden J, Lawrence GP. 2021. Sequential aiming in pairs: the multiple levels of joint action Experimental Brain Research, 239 :1479-1488 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Lawrence GP, Welsh TN, Wilson MR. 2021. Does high state anxiety exacerbate distractor interference? Human Movement Science, 76 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Ashton JS, Roberts JW, Wakefield CJ, Page RM, MacLaren DPM, Marwood S, Malone JJ. 2020. The effects of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) supplementation using a C8:C10 ratio of 30:70 on cognitive performance in healthy young adults. Physiology and Behavior, 229 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Kelly R, Roberts JW. 2020. Investigation into the dynamic visual acuity of skilled cricketers using a continuous motion task Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Ashton J, Coyles G, Malone JJ, Roberts JW. 2020. Immediate effects of an acute bout of repeated soccer heading on cognitive performance Science and Medicine in Football, 5 :181-187 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Wood G, Wakefield CJ. 2020. Examining the equivalence between imagery and execution within the spatial domain – does motor imagery account for signal-dependent noise? Experimental Brain Research, 238 :2983-2992 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Elliott D, Lyons J, Hayes S, Burkitt J, Hansen S, Grierson L, Foster NC, Roberts JW, Bennett S. 2020. The Multiple Process Model of Goal-Directed Aiming/Reaching: Insights on Limb Control from Various Special Populations Experimental Brain Research, 238 :2685-2699 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Wakefield C, Roberts J, Wood G. 2020. Eye-movements support chronometric imagery performance even when the task is occluded Visual Cognition, 28 :285-291 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Goddard N, Roberts JW. 2020. Performance-related stress mediates the online control and integration of sequential movements Acta Psychologica, 208 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Thompson B, Leat S, Dalton K. 2020. Towards developing a test of global motion for use with Paralympic athletes Scientific Reports, 10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Romano-Smith S, Wood G, Coyles G, Roberts JW, Wakefield CJ. 2020. The effect of action observation and motor imagery combinations on upper limb kinematics and EMG during dart-throwing Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 30 :958-958 DOI Publisher Url
Roberts JW. 2020. Energy-minimization within target-directed aiming: the mediating influence of the number of movements and target size Experimental Brain Research, 238 :741-749 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Keen B, Kawycz S. 2019. Anticipation of badminton serves during naturalistic match-play: a case for the post-performance analysis of perceptual-cognitive skills Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 59 :1951-1955 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Romano-Smith S, Wood G, Coyles G, Roberts JW, Wakefield CJ. 2019. The effect of action observation and motor imagery combinations on upper limb kinematics and EMG during dart-throwing Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 29 :1917-1929 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Grierson L. 2019. Early impulse control: treatment of potential errors within pre-programming and control Journal of Motor Behavior, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW. 2019. Frequency Distributions of Target-Directed Movements: Examining Spatial Variability in Its Wider Context Motor Control, 23 :485-497 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Welsh TN, Wakefield CJ. 2019. Examining the equivalence between imagery and execution - Do imagined and executed movements code relative environmental features? Behavioural Brain Research, 370 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Lawrence GP. 2019. Impact of attentional focus on motor performance within the context of "early" limb regulation and "late" target control Acta Psychologica, 198 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Wilson MR, Skultety JK, Lyons JL. 2018. Examining the effect of state anxiety on compensatory and strategic adjustments in the planning of goal-directed aiming Acta Psychologica, 185 :33-40 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Constable MD, Burgess R, Lyons JL, Welsh TN. 2018. The influence of intrapersonal sensorimotor experiences on the corticospinal responses during action-observation Social Neuroscience, 13 :246-256 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ, Hayes SJ. 2018. Impression or expression? The influence of self-monitoring on the social modulation of motor contagion Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Series a Human Experimental Psychology, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Strudwick AJ, Bennett SJ. 2017. Visual Function of English Premier League Soccer Players Science and Medicine in Football, 1 :178-182 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Lyons JL, Garcia DB, Burgess R, Elliott D. 2017. Gunslinger Effect and Muller -Lyer Illusion: Examining Early Visual Information Processing for Late Limb-Target Control. Motor Control, 21 :284-298 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Grierson LEM, Roberts JW, Welsher AM. 2017. The effect of modeled absolute timing variability and relative timing variability on observational learning. Acta Psychologica, 176 :71-77 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Elliott DE, Lyons J, Hayes SJ, Burkitt JJ, Roberts JW, Grierson LEM, Hansen S, Bennett SJ. 2017. The Multiple Process Model of Goal-Directed Reaching Revisited Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 72 :95-110 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Burkitt JJ, Elliott D, Lyons JL. 2016. The Impact of Strategic Trajectory Optimization on Illusory Target Biases During Goal-Directed Aiming Journal of Motor Behavior, 48 :542-551 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Katayama O, Lung T, Constable MD, Elliott D, Lyons JL, Welsh TN. 2016. The modulation of motor contagion by intrapersonal sensorimotor experience Neuroscience Letters, 624 :42-46 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Blinch J, Elliott D, Chua R, Lyons JL, Welsh TN. 2016. The violation of Fitts' Law: an examination of displacement biases and corrective submovements. Experimental Brain Research, 234 :2151-2163 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ, Welsh TN, Elliott D, Lyons JL, Hayes SJ. 2016. The influence of environmental context in interpersonal observation-execution. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Elliott D, Lyons JL, Hayes SJ, Bennett SJ. 2016. Common vs. independent limb control in sequential vertical aiming: The cost of potential errors during extensions and reversals Acta Psychologica, 163 :27-37 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Hayes SJ, Uji M, Bennett SJ. 2015. Motor contagion: the contribution of trajectory and end-points PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH-PSYCHOLOGISCHE FORSCHUNG, 79 :621-629 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ, Elliott D, Hayes SJ. 2015. Motion trajectory information and agency influence motor learning during observational practice ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA, 159 :76-84 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ, Hayes SJ. 2015. Top-down social modulation of interpersonal observation-execution. Psychological Research, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Hayes SJ, Roberts JW, Elliott D, Bennett SJ. 2014. Top-Down Attentional Processes Modulate the Coding of Atypical Biological Motion Kinematics in the Absence of Motor Signals JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-HUMAN PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE, 40 :1641-1653 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Roberts J, Burkitt JJ, Willemse B, Ludzki A, Lyons J, Elliott D, Grierson LEM. 2013. The influence of target context and early and late vision on goal-directed reaching EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH, 229 :525-532 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Hayes SJ, Elliott D, Andrew M, Roberts JW, Bennett SJ. 2012. Dissociable contributions of motor-execution and action-observation to intramanual transfer EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH, 221 :459-466 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Roberts JW, Bennett SJ, Elliott D, Hayes SJ. 2012. Top-down and bottom-up processes during observation: Implications for motor learning EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SPORT SCIENCE, 14 :S250-S256 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Hayes SJ, Andrew M, Elliott D, Roberts JW, Bennett SJ. 2012. Dissociable contributions of motor-execution and action-observation to intermanual transfer NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS, 506 :346-350 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
preprint
Roberts J, Bennett S. 2023. Does the threat of COVID-19 modulate automatic imitation? Center for Open Science DOI Publisher Url
Conference publication
Roberts J, Lyons J, Garcia D, Burgess R, Elliott D. Gunslinger effect and Müller Lyer illusion: The role of target context during intended and reacted goal-directed aims Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, North American Society for the Psychology and Physical Activity 37 :S58-S58
Cappelletto J, Roberts J, Lyons J. Don't fence me in: does perception of stimulus closure contribute to illusory biases in Müller-Lyer configurations? Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, North American Society for the Psychology and Physical Activity 38 :S50-S51
Dalton K, Ravensbergen R, Roberts J, Chakraborty A, Leat S, Thompson B, Mann D. Global motion perception with low vision Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Association for Research in Vision and Opthalmology 58 :4693-4693 Author Url
Roberts J, Lawrence G. Sequence aiming movements between nervous systems Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 50 :64-64
Roberts J, Burkitt JJ, Willemse B, Ludzki A, Lyons J, Elliott D. The impact of manipulating visual information availability during the early and late portions of pointing movements made toward the vertices of Müller-Lyer figures Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, North American Society for the Psychology and Physical Activity 33 :S105-S105 Author Url
Skultety JK, Roberts J, Burkitt JJ, Hansen S, Lyons JL. Auditory spatial localization and the cost of corrective limb modifications Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, North American Society for the Psychology and Physical Activity 37 :S61-S61 Author Url
Hayes SJ, Roberts J, Elliott DJ, Bennett SJ. The role of biological motion and nonbiological motion during action-observation Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, North American Society for the Psychology and Physical Activity 32 :S84-S85 Author Url
Roberts J, Lawrence G. Impact of attentional focus on motor performance within the context of “early” limb regulation and “late” target control Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 50 :62-62
Roberts J, Maiden J, Bennett S. Impact of simulated low target vision on target-directed movement Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 50 :63-63
Roberts J, Welsh T, Wakefield C. Correspondence between executed and imagined actions extends to allocentric/relative references codes Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 50 :61-61
Roberts J, Skultety J, Wilson M, Lyons J. The influence of state anxiety on the ‘offline’ planning and ‘online’ control of action: Is it as simple as “one or the other”? Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 48 :49-49
Roberts J, Lyons J, Constable M, Welsh T. “You say goodbye and I say hello”: modulating interpersonal sensorimotor couplings following intrapersonal sensorimotor experience Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 48 :49-49
Roberts J, Bennett S, Welsh T, Elliott D, Lyons J, Hayes S. The influence of environmental context in interpersonal observation-execution Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 47 :44-44
Roberts J, Welsh T, Lyons J, Elliott D. The displacement biases accompanying the “violation of Fitts’ Law” Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 47 :45-45
Roberts J, Bennett S, Lyons J, Elliott D. Common vs. independent limb control in sequential vertical aiming: extending or reversing target-aiming movements Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 46 :65-65
Roberts J, Bennett S. Online control of rapid target-directed aiming under simulated low vision Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 52
Roberts J, Elliott D, Burkitt J. Does the relation between inherent variability and target size influence the central tendency of target-directed aiming? Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology 52