Dr Phil Birch

Phil’s main area of research interest is performance psychology in traditional sports and esports.

Phil is currently examining stress, coping, and mental ill health in esports athletes and the use of think aloud protocols in both traditional sports and esports.

Phil’s research activity in the psychology of esports field is reflected by his role on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports.

Birch, P. D. J. (2021). Research to practice: Stress, coping and mental ill health in esports. Keynote presentation delivered as part of the keynote panel on Mental Performance in Esport: Considerations for Practitioners for Association for Applied Sport Psychology’s 36th annual (online) conference, October, 2021.

2022

• Smith, M. J., Runswick, O. Jewiss, M., & Birch, P., D., J. (2022). Challenge and threat states in academic presentation assessments. Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2022.2069229
• Smith, M. J., Sharpe, B. T., Arumuham, A., Birch, P. D. J. (2022). Examining the predictors of mental ill health in esports athletes. Healthcare. 10(4), 626. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10040626
• Leis, O., Franziska, L., Birch, P. D., & Elbe, A. M. (2022). Stressors, perceived stress responses, and coping strategies in professional esports players: A qualitative study. International Journal of Esports. https://www.ijesports.org/article/76/html

2021

• Shaw, M., Birch, P. D. J., & Runswick, O. R. (2021). An in-situ examination of cognitive processes in professional and amateur golfers during green reading. Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000261

2020

• Murphy, C. P., Wakefield, A., Birch, P. D. J., & North, J. S. (2020). Esport expertise benefits perceptual-cognitive skill in (traditional) sport. Journal of Expertise, 3(4). https://www.journalofexpertise.org/articles/volume3_issue4/JoE_3_4_Murphy_etal.pdf
• Yeoman, B., Birch, P. D. J., & Runswick, O. R. (2020). The effects of smart phone video analysis on focus of attention and performance in practice and competition, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 47, 101644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101644
• McGeary, M., Birch, P. D. J., Eubank, M., Whitehead, A. E. (2020). Think aloud: Investigating stressors and associated coping strategies of cricket bowlers during a competitive match. Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1829013

2019

• Smith, M. J., Birch, P. D., & Bright, D. (2019). Identifying Stressors and Coping Strategies of Elite Esports Competitors. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS), 11(2), 22-39. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJGCMS.2019040102
• Birch, P. D. J., & Whitehead, A. E. (2019). Investigating the Comparative Suitability of Traditional and task-specific Think Aloud Training, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 127(1), 202-224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512519882274
• Batten, J., Jessop, T., & Birch, P. D. J. (2019). Doing what it says on the tin? A psychometric evaluation of the Assessment Experience Questionnaire, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44, 309-320. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1499867

2017

• Birch, P. D. J., Crampton, S., Greenlees. I. A., Lowry, R. G., & Coffee, P. (2017). The Mental Toughness Questionniare-48: A Re-examination of Factorial Validity. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 48, 331-355. http://www.ijsp-online.com/abstract/view/48/331

As of April 2022, Phil is primary supervisor for a funded PhD studentship examining the use of heart-rate variability as a measure of self-regulation in esports performance.