Image of Dr Joe Causer

Dr Joe Causer

Sport and Exercise Sciences

Faculty of Science

Dr Joe Causer (Reader in Sensorimotor Behaviour, Sport & Exercise Sciences) is an academic member of staff with teaching duties. Joe is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and has High Performance Sport Accreditation (HPSA) from The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) in the area of skill acquisition. Joe has also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCert) and has been awarded a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

Joe’s main research interest is expert performance, with a particular emphasis on anxiety, implementing training interventions to overcome the potentially negative effects of anxiety on performance, and identifying how experts mediate these effects. He is also interested the mechanisms underpinning performance in elite sport and how factors such as fatigue and anxiety affect these mechanisms. Joe also has an interest in the Quiet Eye period, and visual attention during aiming and interceptive tasks, with specific projects looking into elite populations, as well as training novice or sub-elite populations to adopt similar gaze behaviours and knowledge structures.

Dr Causer is Programme Leader of the BSc (Hons) Sport Psychology programme, and also teaches across the Sport and Exercise Science and Science and Football programmes, as well as the MSc Sport Psychology and Professional Doctorate. Joe supervises project and placement students at undergraduate and postgraduate and is Director of Studies for a number of PhD candidates.

Degrees

2010, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, PhD
2007, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons) Science and Football

Certifications

2015, British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Chartered Scientist
2014, British Psychological Society, Chartered Psychologist
2014, British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, High Performance Sport Accreditation
2014, The Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
2014, Liverpool John Moores University, PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Academic appointments

Reader in Sensorimotor Behaviour, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, 2019 - present
Senior Lecturer in Applied Sport Psychology, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, 2011 - 2019
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Exercise and Sports Science, The University of Sydney, 2011 - 2011

Highlighted publications

Causer J, Mark Williams A. 2015. The use of patterns to disguise environmental cues during an anticipatory judgment task Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 37 :74-82 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Baurès R, Bennett SJ, Causer J. 2014. Temporal estimation with two moving objects: overt and covert pursuit Experimental Brain Research, 233 :253-261 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Harvey A, Snelgrove R, Arsenault G, Vickers JN. 2014. Quiet eye training improves surgical knot tying more than traditional technical training: a randomized controlled study The American Journal of Surgery, 2 :171-177 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Holmes PS, Smith NC, Williams AM. 2011. Anxiety, movement kinematics, and visual attention in elite-level performers. Emotion, 11 :595-602 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Journal article

Andrew M, Ford PR, Alder SE, Champ FM, Brownlee TE, Datson N, Causer J. 2024. Talent development in female soccer: Developmental activities of professional players in England Journal of Sports Sciences, :1-12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Parker S, Wilkins J, Inayat S, Hollingsworth N, Causer J, Virani S, Caird J. 2024. A randomised control trial to compare quiet eye training efficacy to traditional technical training with undergraduate student nurses' peripheral intravenous cannulation performance: A protocol Vascular Access Journal of the Canadian Vascular Access Association, 18 :7-20 DOI Public Url

Ramachandran P, Watts M, Jackson R, Hayes S, Causer J. 2022. No ball! The effect of task-switching on expert umpire leg-before-wicket judgments Journal of Expertise, 5 :105-116 Publisher Url Public Url

Andrew M, Causer J. 2022. Does anticipation of penalty kicks in soccer transfer across similar and dissimilar sports? COGNITIVE PROCESSING, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Andrew M, McRobert AP, Causer J. 2021. Do Decision-Making Skills During Defensive Scenarios in Soccer Transfer Across Similar and Dissimilar Sports? Journal of Experise, 4 :286-293 Publisher Url Public Url

Andrew M, O’Brien RW, Ford PR, Causer J. 2021. Developmental activities of professional male British rugby-league players versus controls Science and Medicine in Football, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Ramachandran P, Watts M, Jackson RC, Hayes SJ, Causer J. 2021. Howzat! Expert umpires use a gaze anchor to overcome the processing demands of leg before wicket decisions Journal of Sports Sciences, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Foster NC, Bennett SJ, Causer J, Elliott D, Bird G, Hayes SJ. 2020. Facilitating sensorimotor integration via blocked practice underpins imitation learning of atypical biological kinematics in autism spectrum disorder Autism: the international journal of research and practice, 24 :1494-1505 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Foster NC, Bennett SJ, Causer J, Elliott D, Bird G, Hayes SJ. 2019. Getting off to a shaky start: specificity in planning and feedforward control during sensorimotor learning in autism spectrum disorder Autism Research, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Vickers JN, Causer J, Vanhooren D. 2019. The Role of Quiet Eye Timing and Location in the Basketball Three-Point Shot: A New Research Paradigm Frontiers in Psychology, 10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Pullinger SA, Bradley PS, Causer J, Ford PR, Newlove A, Patel K, Reid K, Robertson CM, Burniston JG, Doran DA, Waterhouse JM, Edwards BJ. 2019. Football-induced fatigue in hypoxia impairs repeated sprint ability and perceptual-cognitive skills Science and Medicine in Football, 3 :221-230 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Alder DB, Ford PR, Causer J, Williams AM. 2018. The effect of anxiety on anticipation, allocation of attentional resources, and visual search behaviours Human Movement Science, 61 :81-89 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Smeeton NJ, Varga M, Causer J, Williams AM. 2018. Disguise and Deception of Action Outcomes Through Sports Garment Design Impair Anticipation Judgments. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Foster NC, Bennett SJ, Causer J, Bird G, Andrew M, Hayes SJ. 2018. Atypical biological kinematics are represented during observational practice Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 44 :842-847 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Gonzalez CC, Causer J, Grey MJ, Humphreys GW, Miall RC, Williams AM. 2017. Exploring the quiet eye in archery using field- and laboratory-based tasks. Experimental Brain Research, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Broadbent DP, Ford PR, O'Hara DA, Williams AM, Causer J. 2017. The effect of a sequential structure of practice for the training of perceptual-cognitive skills in tennis PLoS ONE, 12 :e0174311-e0174311 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Broadbent DP, Causer J, Williams AM, Ford PR. 2017. The role of error processing in the contextual interference effect during the training of perceptual-cognitive skills Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Smeeton NJ, Williams AM. 2017. Expertise differences in anticipatory judgements during a temporally and spatially occluded dynamic task PLoS ONE, 12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Hayes SJ, Hooper JM, Bennett SJ. 2017. Quiet eye facilitates sensorimotor preprograming and online control of precision aiming in golf putting Cognitive Processing, 18 :47-54 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Vickers JN, Causer J, Stuart M, Little E, Dukelow S, LeVangie M, Nigg S, Arsenault G, Morton B, Scott M, Emery C. 2016. Effect of the look-up line on the gaze and head orientation of elite ice hockey players European Journal of Sport Science, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Alder D, Ford PR, Causer J, Williams AM. 2016. The Effects of High- and Low-Anxiety Training on the Anticipation Judgments of Elite Performers Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 38 :93-104 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Gonzalez CC, Williams AM, Causer J, Miall RC, Grey MJ, Humphreys G. 2015. Identifying the causal mechanisms of the quiet eye European Journal of Sport Science, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Broadbent DP, Causer J, Ford PR, Williams AM. 2015. Contextual Interference Effect on Perceptual-Cognitive Skills Training MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE, 47 :1243-1250 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Mark Williams A. 2015. The use of patterns to disguise environmental cues during an anticipatory judgment task Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 37 :74-82 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J. 2015. Manipulating practice variables to maximise learning Medical Education, 49 :552-554 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Alder D, Ford PR, Causer J, Williams AM. 2014. The coupling between gaze behavior and opponent kinematics during anticipation of badminton shots HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCE, 37 :167-149 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Baurès R, Bennett SJ, Causer J. 2014. Temporal estimation with two moving objects: overt and covert pursuit Experimental Brain Research, 233 :253-261 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Broadbent D, Causer J, Williams AM, Ford PR. 2014. Perceptual-cognitive skill training and its transfer to expert performance in the field: Future research directions European Journal of Sport Science, 15 :322-331 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Causer J, Vickers JN, Snelgrove R, Arsenault G, Harvey A. 2014. Performing under pressure: Quiet eye training improves surgical knot-tying performance SURGERY, 156 :1089-1096 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

McCormick SA, Causer J, Holmes PS. 2014. The influence of early aging on eye movements during motor simulation AGE, 36 :9671-9671 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Harvey A, Snelgrove R, Arsenault G, Vickers JN. 2014. Quiet eye training improves surgical knot tying more than traditional technical training: a randomized controlled study The American Journal of Surgery, 2 :171-177 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Barach P, Williams AM. 2014. Expertise in medicine: using the expert performance approach to improve simulation training MEDICAL EDUCATION, 48 :115-123 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Ford PR. 2014. "Decisions, decisions, decisions": transfer and specificity of decision-making skill between sports Cognitive Processing, 3 :385-389 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Smeeton NJ, Page J, Causer J, Wilson M, Gray R, Williams AM. 2013. The BASES Expert Statement on the Effectiveness of Vision Training Programmes The Sport and Exercise Scientist, :12-13 Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, McRobert AP, Williams AM. 2013. The effect of stimulus intensity on response time and accuracy in dynamic, temporally constrained environments. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 23 :627-634 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, McCormick SA, Holmes PS. 2013. Congruency of gaze metrics in action, imagery & action observation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7 :604-604 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

McCormick SA, Causer J, Holmes PS. 2013. Active vision during movement execution, observation and imagery: evidence for shared motor representations PLoS One, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

McRobert AP, Causer J, Vassiliadis J, Watterson L, Kwan J, Williams MA. 2013. Contextual information influences diagnosis accuracy and decision making in simulated emergency medicine emergencies BMJ Quality and Safety, 22 :478-484 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Williams M. 2012. New advances in the quiet eye phenomenon from research in neuroscience, centre of pressure (COP), and surgery-Methods for determining the neural mechanisms underpinning quiet eye Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 34 :S37-S37 Author Url

McCormick SA, Causer J, Holmes PS. 2012. Eye gaze metrics reflect a shared motor representation for action observation and movement imagery Brain and Cognition, 80 :83-88 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Holmes PS, Williams AM. 2011. Quiet eye training in a visuomotor control task. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 43 :1042-1049 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Holmes PS, Smith NC, Williams AM. 2011. Anxiety, movement kinematics, and visual attention in elite-level performers. Emotion, 11 :595-602 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Bennett SJ, Janelle C, Holmes PS, Williams AM. 2010. Quiet Eye Duration and Gun Motion in Elite Shotgun Shooting Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 42 :1599-1608 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Causer J, Bennett SJ, Holmes PS, Janelle CM, Williams AM. 2010. Quiet Eye Duration and Gun Motion in Elite Shotgun Shooting JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, 32 :S67-S67 Author Url

Foster N, Bennett S, Pullar K, Causer J, Becchio C, Clowes D, Hayes S. Observational learning of atypical biological kinematics in autism Autism Research: official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Poster

Rankin M, O'Toole P, Roughley M, Roberts A, Whitehead AE, Causer J, Hambleton S, Baker S. 2023. Transforming Polypectomy Education: One Step At A Time NRICAM Showcase Public Url

Chapters

Causer J. 2023. ATTENTION IN SPORT Routledge Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology: a Comprehensive Guide for Students and Practitioners, Second Edition :562-570 DOI Publisher Url

Mann DL, Causer J, Nakamoto H, Runswick OR. 2019. Visual search behaviors in expert perceptual judgements Williams AM, Jackson RC. Anticipation and Decision Making in Sport :59-78 Routledge. Abingdon, Oxford

Alder D, Poolton JM, Causer J. 2019. Training under pressure: Current perspectives and Future Directions Williams AM, Jackson RC. Anticipation and Decision Making in Sport: Routledge :359-374 Routledge. Abingdon, Oxford

Broadbent DP, Causer J, Ford PR, Williams AM. 2019. Training Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise: How Should Practice be Structured? Williams AM, Jackson RC. Anticipation and Decision Making in Sport. London :286-305 Routledge. Abingdon, Oxford

Carey LM, Jackson RC, Fairweather MM, Causer J, Williams AM. 2017. Perceptual-cognitive expertise in golf putting Toms M. Routledge International Handbook of Golf Science :173-183 Routledge. Abingdon, Oxon Publisher Url

Wilson M, Causer J, Vickers JN. 2015. Aiming for excellence: the quiet eye as a characteristic of expertise Farrow D, Baker J. Routledge Handbook of Sport Expertise :22-22. New York DOI Publisher Url

Causer J. 2015. Professional Expertise in Medicine Lanzer P. PanVascular Medicine, 2nd edition :4763-4763 Springer Verlag. London DOI

Causer J, Janelle CM, Vickers JN, Williams AM. 2012. Perceptual training: What can be trained? Hodges NJ, Williams AM. Skill Acquisition in Sport: Research, Theory and Practice :306-324 Routledge. London

Causer J, Williams, A.M . 2012. Improving anticipation and decision making in sport O’Donoghue P, Sampaio J, McGarry T. The Routledge Handbook of Sports Performance Analysis :21-31 Routledge. London

Williams AM, Ford PR, Causer J, Logan O, Murray S. 2012. Translating Theory into Practice: Working at the ‘Coal Face’ in the UK! Hodges NJ, Williams AM. Skill Acquisition in Sport: Research, Theory and Practice :353-366 Routledge. London

Causer J, Williams AM. 2012. Professional expertise in medicine Lanzer P. Catheter-based Cardiovascular Interventions - Knowledge-based Approach :97-112 Springer. NY DOI Publisher Url

Other

Causer J. 2016. The future of Quiet Eye research – comment on Vickers Current Issues in Sport Science, DOI Publisher Url

Causer J. 2016. The future of Quiet Eye research – comment on Vickers Current Issues in Sport Science, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Conference publication

Broadbent DP, Ford PR, Williams AM, Causer J. 2016. Sequence-induced anticipatory behaviour: Training with contextual information JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, 38 :S46-S47 Author Url

Gonzalez CC, Williams S, Causer J, Williams AM. 2015. Quiet eye duration in expert and novice archers: A task complexity dichotomy COGNITIVE PROCESSING, Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Spatial Cognition (ICSC) 16 :S42-S42 Author Url

Causer J, Holmes PS, Smith NC, Williams AM. 2015. Anxiety, visual attention, and performance in elite shooters European Journal of Sport Science, ECSS

Gonzalez CC, Williams S, Causer J, Miall C, Grey M, Humphreys G, Williams AM. 2015. Identifying the behavioral mechanisms of the quiet eye in skilled and less-skilled archers during aiming tasks JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, 37 :S41-S41 Author Url

Broadbent DP, Williams AM, Causer J, Ford PR. 2015. The role of cognitive effort and error processing in the contextual interference effect during perceptual-cognitive skills training JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, 37 :S31-S31 Author Url

Causer J, McRobert AP, Ford PR, Raw D, Mercer S, Jones N. 2012. Examining cognitive expertise and performance during simulated high-fidelity anaesthetist medical scenarios ASPiH

Causer J, Bennett SJ, Holmes PS, Janelle CM, Williams AM. Quiet eye duration and gun motion in elite shotgun shooting Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, NASPSPA 32 :S67-S67

Causer J. The effect of anxiety on visual attention and performance in elite shooters ESAN

Causer J, McRobert, A.P , Williams AM. The influence of context-specific information on quality of treatment during a simulated real-life emergency medicine decision-making task ESAN

Causer J, Williams AM. Methods for determining the neural mechanisms underpinning Quiet Eye Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, NASPSPA

McCormick SA, Causer J, Holmes PS. Eye Gaze in Imagery, Oberservation and Action Research in Imagery and Observation

Causer J, Williams AM. Methods for determining the neural mechanisms underpinning quiet eye Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, NASPSPA 34 :S37-S37

McCormick SA, Causer J, Holmes PS. Eye gaze metrics as a new direction for movement imagery and action observation Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, NASPSPA 34 :S171-S171

Causer J, Holmes PS, Williams AM. Quiet eye training in a visuo-motor control task ECSS

McRobert AP, Causer J, Vassiliadis J, Watterson L, Kwan J, Williams AM. The influence of context-specific information on performance during simulated emergency medicine scenarios ASPiH

Causer J. Performing under pressure: Quiet eye training improves surgical knot-tying performance BPS Cognitive Psychology Section Conference

Causer J. Are university courses inherently biased? The effect of entry level profiles on academic performance on undergraduate programmes LJMU Teaching & Learning Conference

Causer J, Snelgrove R, Harvey A, Vickers J. Developing spatial cognition through the identification and training of visual attention in surgical skills International Conference on Spatial Cognition Author Url

Thesis/Dissertation

Causer J. 2010. Visuomotor antecedents to elite performance in Olympic shooting Williams AM, Bennett SJ, Holmes PS. Liverpool John Moores University

Report

Causer J. 2009. Eye movements and gun motion in shotgun shooting Clay Target Magazine

Research Grants Awarded:

Mersey School of Endoscopy, Investigating Psychological Safety in Colonoscopy training, Laura Swettenham, Joe Causer, Sigrid Olthof, Paul O'Toole, Mel Rankin, Grant value (£): 20,000, Duration of research project: 12 months. 2024

Australian Research Council, Anticipation and decision making skill: From testing to training, Williams, A.M Goodyear, P Jacobson, M O'Connor, D, Grant value (£): AUD$438,138.

Badminton World Federation, The amount and types of developmental activities engaged in by elite adult badminton players and their association to attainment and skill acquisition., Ford, PR, Grant value (£): USD$12,987.

Badminton World Federation, The effect of perceptual training with anxiety on the anticipatory judgments of elite badminton players, Paul R. Ford, Grant value (£): USD$16,250.

BASES, The BASES Expert Statement on the Effectiveness of Vision Training Programmes, Nick Smeeton, Jenny Page, Rob Gray, A. Mark Williams, Mark Wilson, Grant value (£): 1000.

Football Federation Australia, Developing ‘game intelligent’ players, A. Mark Williams, Grant value (£): AUS$ 105,000.

SportScotland Institute of Sport, The effects of attentional load and anxiety on decision making and performance in elite sport, Grant value (£): 30000.

USA Hockey, The Look-Up-Line: Does It Work? Gaze And Head Orientation Of Elite Ice Hockey Players Performing Checks On Ice, Joan Vickers, Sean Dukelow, Michael Stuart, Elaine Little, Grant value (£): USD $42,440.

Teaching qualification:

PGCert LTHE. 2014

Award:

RCUK Silver Podium Award for Exceptional Research Contribution, Research Council UK. 2012

Membership of professional bodies:

Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society.

Chartered Scientist, BASES.

High Performance Sport Accreditation, BASES.

Fellowships:

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Higher Education Academy.

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