Dr Robin Jackson

Robin Jackson is a Reader in Sport Psychology (Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise), a BPS Chartered Psychologist, and an HCPC registered practitioner. He has a passion for para sport, which was ignited by his work as sport psychologist and performance analyst for GB Wheelchair Rugby. More recently, he has led impactful research projects on evidence-based classification in goalball (part-funded by the International Blind Sports Federation) and improving the return-of-serve in wheelchair tennis (part-funded by the Lawn Tennis Association).

Robin joined Loughborough University in January 2016 and is Course Director for the MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology. Previously, he held posts at Brunel University (2001-2004; 2008-2016), the University of Hong Kong (2004-2008), and the University of Glamorgan (1996-2000). He is currently Executive Editor of the Journal of Sports Sciences (Sport and Exercise Psychology section) and is a founder member of the BPS Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP) and the Expertise and Skill Acquisition Network (ESAN). 

Robin is a member of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport and his research aligns with the Sport Performance research theme. His research focus is expert perception, attention, and cognition. This work has been published in over 80 journal articles and books chapters that have been cited almost 6000 times. Much of this work focuses on how sports performers anticipate and attempt to deceive one another and the influence of context in these duels. His work on attentional processes focuses on why performers ‘choke’ under pressure, particularly in self-paced skills such as golf putting, rugby goal kicking, and football penalty kicks. 

Robin has engaged in a variety of external activities over the past two decades, from early work as sport psychologist and performance analyst for GB Wheelchair Rugby, to more recent consultancy, advisory, and research activities on anticipation, deception and decision making with the Lawn Tennis Association, England football, Rugby Football Union, Leicester Tigers, New York Yankees, Leicester City FC academy, and Aston Villa FC academy. In academia, Robin has been invited to examine many doctoral theses and has been external examiner for several undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes. 

A full list of journal articles and book chapters with pre-print downloads is available through Robin's personal website.

Book

• Williams, A. M. & Jackson, R. C. (2019) Anticipation and decision making in sport. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. 

Featured publications

• Abt, G., Boreham, C., Davison, G., Jackson, R. C., Jobson, S.., Wallace, E., & Williams, A. M. (2025). Response to “Powering a study for more than one dependent variable, a letter to the editor regarding the editorial ‘Sample size estimation revisited’” Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2025.2541479
• Abt, G., Boreham, C., Davison, G., Jackson, R. C., Jobson, S.., Wallace, E., & Williams, A. M. (2025). Sample size estimation revisited. Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2025.2499403
• Van den Berghe, Boreham, C., Davison, G., Jackson, R. C., Wallace, E., Jobson, S., & Williams, A. M. (2025). Science beyond borders: Publishing and funding in a contemporary geographical context. Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2025.2496562 
• Martin, A. M., Ryu, D., Jackson, R. C., & Mann, D. L. (2024). Investigating the relationship between impairment and performance in goalball: A level playing field? Journal of Sports Sciences, 42, 1785-1793. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2024.2403285
• Warren-Westgate, L. S., Jackson, R. C., & Hiley, M. J. (2024). The kinematics of false intent conveyed by deceptive sidestep actions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102695 
• Dal Lago, D., Burns, E., Jackson, R. C., & Wilcockson, T. D. W. (2024). Are alcohol-related attentional biases and holistic perception independent processes? Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1037/pha0000727
• Pereira, R., Hartescu, I., Jackson, R. C., & Morgan, K. (2023).  Napping behaviour, daytime sleepiness, and arousal in high performance athletes and non-athlete controls. Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2023.2281158
• Gallicchio, G., Ryu, D., Krishnani, M., Tasker, G., Pecunioso, A., & Jackson, R. C. (2023). Temporal and spectral electrooculographic features in a discrete precision task. Psychophysiology. DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14461
• Güldenpenning, I., Jackson, R. C., & Cañal-Bruland, R. (2023). The science of deceptive human movement. Human Movement Science, 92:103147. DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2023.103147
• Dal Lago, D., Burns, E., Gaunt, E., Peers, E., Jackson, R. C., & Wilcockson, T. D. W. (2023). Alcohol use predicts face perception impairments and difficulties in face recognition. Substance Use & Misuse, 58(13), 1734-1741. DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2023.2247059
• Güldenpenning, I., Jackson, R. C., & Weigelt, M. (2023). Action outcome probability influences the size of the head-fake effect in basketball. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 68: 102467. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102467
• Pfister, D., Jackson, R. C., Güldenpenning, I., Williams, A. M. (2023). Timing a fake punch: Inhibitory effects in a boxing-specific spatial attention task. Human Movement Science, 89:103092. DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2023.103092 
• Albertella, L., Kirkham, R., Adler, A.B. […] Jackson, R. C. […], et al. (2023). Building a transdisciplinary expert consensus on the cognitive drivers of performance under pressure: An international multi-panel Delphi study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13:1017675. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1017675  
• Martin, A. M., Ryu, D., Jackson, R. C., & Mann, D. L. (2023). Expert views on evidence-based classification for goalball: A Delphi study. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 40, 257-279. DOI: 10.1123/apaq.2022-0051 
• Ramachandran, P., Watts, M., Jackson, R. C., Hayes, S. J., & Causer, J. (2022). No ball! The effect of task-switching on expert umpire ‘leg before wicket’ judgments. Journal of Expertise, 5(2-3), 105-116. 
• Jackson, R. C., Appleton, P., Fletcher, D., & North, J. S. (2022). JSS Editorial: Sport and Exercise Psychology. Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2021.2012004  
• Warren-Westgate, L. S., Jackson, R. C., Blenkinsop, G. M., & Hiley, M. J. (2021). Earlier detection facilitates skilled responses to deceptive actions. Human Movement Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2021.102885 
• Ramachandran, P., Watts, M., Jackson, R. C., Hayes, S. J., & Causer, J. (2021). Howzat! Expert umpires use a gaze anchor to overcome the processing demands of leg before wicket decisions. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39, 1936-1943. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2021.1908734
• Mann, D. L., Tweedy, S., Jackson, R. C., & Vanlandewijck, Y. C. (2021). Classifying the evidence for evidence-based classification in Paralympic sport. Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2021.1955523 
• Cocks, A. J., Young, W. R., Ellmers, T. J., Jackson, R. C., & Williams, A. M. (2021). Concern about falling is associated with segmental control when turning in older adults. Gait and Posture, 88, 105-108. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.05.011
• Warren-West, L. S., & Jackson, R. C. (2020). Seeing the bigger picture: Susceptibility to, and detection of, deception. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 42, 463-471. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2020-0040
• Abt, G., Boreham, C., Davison, G., Jackson, R. C., Nevill, A., Wallace, E., & Williams, A. M. (2020). Power, precision, and sample size estimation in sport and exercise science research. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38, 1933-1935. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1776002
• Jackson, R. C., Barton, H., & Bishop, D. T. (2020). Knowledge is power? Outcome probability information impairs detection of deceptive intent. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 50: 101744. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101744
• Jackson, R. C., & Comber, G. (2020). Hill on a mountaintop: A longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of the relative age effect in competitive youth football. Journal of Sports Sciences. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2019.1706830 
• Williams, A. M., & Jackson, R. C. (2019). Anticipation in sport: Fifty years on, what have we learned and what research still needs to be undertaken? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 16-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.014
• Murphy, C. P., Jackson, R. C., & Williams, A. M. (2019). Informational constraints, option generation and anticipation skill. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 41, 54-62. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.012
• Jackson, R. C., Barton, H., Ashford, K. J., & Abernethy, B. (2018). Stepovers and signal detection: Response sensitivity and bias in the differentiation of genuine and deceptive football actions. Frontiers in Psychology, 9: 2043. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02043
• Murphy, C. P., Jackson, R. C., & Williams, A. M. (2018). The role of contextual information during skilled anticipation. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71, 2070-2087. DOI: 10.1177/1747021817739201 
• Levi, H. R., & Jackson, R. C. (2018). Contextual factors influencing decision making: Perceptions of professional soccer players. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 37, 19-25. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.04.001