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Dr André Roca

Associate Professor of Skill Acquisition

Dr André Roca

About Research

Email: andre.roca@stmarys.ac.uk

Biography

André is an associate professor of Skill Acquisition in the School of Sport, Exercise, and Applied Science. He obtained his doctoral degree in Expert Performance and Skill Acquisition from Liverpool John Moores University (2008-2011) and conducted postdoctoral research at the German Sport University Cologne (2012-2013) before joining St Mary's in 2013.

André has published extensively in various areas, including expert performance in sports, skill acquisition, decision-making, creativity, and coaching practice. His primary research interests revolve around understanding the psychological mechanisms that underpin the acquisition and development of expertise, as well as investigating how to create effective practice environments for skill learning. André's contributions to the field have garnered recognition beyond academia, with his work being featured and communicated in esteemed print and media outlets such as BBC, UEFA, and FIFA.

André also co-leads the Performance and Practice Research Group at St Mary's. In addition, he holds esteemed positions as an associate editor for the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and serves as an Advisory Board member for the Journal of Sports Sciences and the Journal of Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology.

He is a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy and actively leads modules in the areas of skill acquisition, coaching science, and research methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His dedication to academic excellence is complemented by extensive practical experience in high-performance sport, offering regular consultancy support to sports organisations, and having served as a coach in professional football academies for two decades.

Research

Areas of research supervision

  • Expert performance and its acquisition in sport and other domains
  • Anticipation, decision making and creativity in players and coaches
  • Deliberate practice and practice design
  • Youth development processes and pathways

Research profile

Selected publications

  • Roca, A., Pocock, C., & Ford, P. R. (2024). Exploring decision-making practices during coaching sessions in grassroots youth soccer: a mixed-methods study. Science and Medicine in Football, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2024.2399011
  • Murphy, C. P., Hinde, J., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., & North, J. S. (2024). The effect of domain-specific exercise on high- and low-level cognitive processing during anticipation. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22, 350-367.
  • Machado, G., González-Víllora, S., Roca, A., & Teoldo, I. (2024). Developing cognitive and motor decision-making skills through tactical principles and small-sided games in youth soccer. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2024.2321039
  • Roca, A., Spinks, A., & Murphy, C. P. (2023). Coach behaviours and practice structure in grassroots youth soccer. In Proceedings of the 10th World Congress on Science and Football (p. 27). Groningen, The Netherlands: University of Groningen.
  • Roca, A., Gomes, C., & Murphy, C. P. (2022). Cognitive processes underpinning soccer coaches’ decision-making during competition. Journal of Expertise, 5, 132-146.
  • Roca, A., Aguilera-Suarez, S., Pocock, C., & Ford, P. R. (2022). Decision-making practices during coaching sessions in grassroots youth soccer: A mixed-methods investigation. In Proceedings of the World Conference on Science and Soccer 2022 (p. 113). Coimbra, Portugal: University of Coimbra.
  • Roca, A., & Ford, P. R. (2021). Developmental activities in the acquisition of creativity in soccer players. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 41, 100850.
  • Roca, A., Gomes, C., & Murphy, C. P. (2021). An investigation of the cognitive processes underlying soccer coaches’ decision-making during competition. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 43, S44.
  • Nunes, A. N., Gonçalves, B., Roca, A., & Travassos, B. (2021). Effects of numerical unbalance constraints on workload and tactical individual actions during ball possession small-sided soccer games across different age groups. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 21, 396-408.
  • Roca, A., & Ford, P. R. (2021). Developmental activities that contribute to creative decision making in skilled soccer players. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 43, S44-S45.
  • Cardoso, F. S. L., Afonso, J., Roca, A., & Teoldo, I. (2021). The association between perceptual-cognitive processes and response time in decision making in young soccer players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39, 926-935.
  • Roca, A., Ford, P. R., & Memmert, D. (2021). Perceptual-cognitive processes underlying creative expert performance in soccer. Psychological Research, 85, 1146-1155.
  • Kunrath, C. A., Nakamura, F. Y., Roca, A., Tessitore, A., & Teoldo, I. (2020). How does mental fatigue affect soccer performance during small-sided games? A cognitive, tactical and physical approach. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38, 1818-1828.
  • Runswick, O. R., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., & North, J. S. (2020). A Model of Information Use During Anticipation in Striking Sports (MIDASS). Journal of Expertise, 3, 197-211.
  • Roca, A., & Ford, P. R. (2020). Decision-making practice during coaching sessions in elite youth football across European countries. Science and Medicine in Football, 4, 263-268.
  • Memmert, D., & Roca, A. (2019). Tactical creativity and decision making in sport. In A. M. Williams & R. C. Jackson (Eds.), Anticipation and decision making in sport (pp. 203-214). London, UK: Routledge.
  • North, J. S., Bezodis, N. E., Murphy, C. P., Runswick, O. R., Pocock, C., & Roca, A. (2019). The effect of consistent and varied follow-through practice schedules on learning a table tennis backhand. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37, 613-620.
  • Runswick, O. R., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., McRobert, A. P., & North, J. S. (2019). Why do bad balls get wickets? The role of congruent and incongruent information in anticipation. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37, 537-543.
  • Simonet, M., Meziane, H. B., Runswick, O. R., North, J. S., Williams, A. M., Barral, J., & Roca, A. (2019). The modulation of event-related alpha rhythm during the time course of anticipation. Scientific Reports, 9, 18226.
  • Simonet, M., Runswick, O. R., Williams, A. M., North, J. S., & Roca, A. (2018). The neural correlates underlying the use of contextual and kinematic information processes during anticipation. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 40, S65-S66.
  • Roca, A., Ford, P. R., & Memmert, D. (2018). Creative decision making and visual search behavior in skilled soccer players. PLOS ONE, 13, e0199381.
  • Runswick, O. R., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., Bezodis, N. E., McRobert, A. P., & North, J. S. (2018). The impact of contextual information and a secondary task on anticipation performance: An interpretation using Cognitive Load Theory. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 32, 141-149.
  • Runswick, O. R., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., Bezodis, N. E., & North, J. S. (2018). The effects of anxiety and situation-specific context on perceptual-motor skill: A multi-level investigation. Psychological Research, 82, 708-719.
  • Runswick, O. R., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., McRobert, A. P., & North, J. S. (2018). The temporal integration of information during anticipation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 37, 100-108.
  • Padilha, M. B., Oliveira, J. G., Olivares, J. S., Roca, A., & Teoldo, I. (2017). The influence of floaters on players’ tactical behaviour in small-sided and conditioned soccer games. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 17, 721-736.
  • Roca, A., Memmert, D., & Ford, P. R. (2017). Perceptual-cognitive processes underlying creativity in skilled soccer players. In Proceedings of the 5th World Conference on Science and Soccer (p. 64). Rennes, France: University Rennes 2.
  • Roca, A., & Williams, A. M. (2017). Does decision making transfer across similar and dissimilar sports? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 31, 40-43.
  • Roca, A., & Williams, A. M. (2017). Transferability vs. specificity of decision-making skill in sport. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 39, S191-S192.
  • Runswick, O. R., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., Bezodis, N. E., McRobert, A. P., & North, J. S. (2017). Contextual information in anticipation performance: A novel test of cognitive load theory. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 39, S192.
  • Murphy, C., Jackson R. C., Cooke, K., Roca, A., Benguigui, N., & Williams, A. M. (2016). Contextual information and perceptual-cognitive expertise in a dynamic, temporally- constrained task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 22, 455-470.
  • Roca, A., & Williams, A. M. (2016). Expertise and the interaction between different perceptual-cognitive skills: Implications for testing and training. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 792.
  • Runswick, O., Roca, A., Williams, A. M., & North, J. S. (2016). The effects of anxiety and situation-specific context on perceptual-motor skill: A multi-level investigation. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 38, S103-S104.
  • Vater, C., Roca, A., & Williams, A. M. (2016). Effects of anxiety on anticipation and visual search in dynamic, time-constrained situations. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 5, 179-192.
  • Murphy, C. P., Jackson R. C., Roca, A., & Williams, A. M. (2015). Cognitive processes underlying anticipation in a context-oriented task. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 37, S53. 
  • Roca, A., Memmert, D., & Ford, P. R. (2015). Creativity, decision making and visual search in skilled soccer players. In J. Bangsbo, & P. Krustrup (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th World Congress on Science and Football (p. 161). Copenhagen, Denmark: SL Grafik.
  • Roca, A., Williams, A. M., & Ford, P. R.  (2014). Capturing and testing perceptual-cognitive expertise: A comparison of stationary and movement response methods. Behavior Research Methods, 46, 173-177. 
  • Roca, A., Ford, P. R., McRobert, A. P., & Williams, A. M.  (2013). Perceptual-cognitive skills and their interaction as a function of task constraints in soccer. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 35, 144-155. 
  • Roca, A., Ford, P. R., & Williams, A. M. (2013). The processes underlying ‘game intelligence’ skills in soccer players. In H. Nunome, B. Drust, & B. Dawson (Eds.), Science and Football VII (pp. 255-260). London, UK: Routledge. 
  • Roca, A. (2012). Oefening tijdens jeugd is cruciaal voor een beter spelinzicht! [Play during childhood is crucial for a better understanding of the game!]. Dug-Out, The Royal Belgian FA Journal, 85, 46-47.
  • Roca, A., Williams, A. M., & Ford, P. R. (2012). Developmental activities and the acquisition of superior anticipation and decision making in soccer players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30, 1643-1652. 
  • Roca, A., Williams, A. M., & Ford, P. R. (2012). The development of ‘game intelligence’ skills in soccer: An examination of the practice experiences contributing to superior anticipation and decision making. In Proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Science and Soccer (p. 65). Ghent, Belgium: Victoris & Gent BC.
  • Roca, A. (2011). Perceptual-cognitive expertise and its acquisition in soccer (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from British Library EThOS. (uk.bl.ethos.555808)
  • Roca, A., Ford, P. R., McRobert, A. P., & Williams, A. M.  (2011). Identifying the processes underpinning anticipation and decision-making in a dynamic time-constrained task. Cognitive Processing, 12, 301-310.

A full list of publications can be found on his ResearchGate and Google Scholar pages.

Media enquiries

For media enquiries, please contact our Press Office Team by emailing press.office@stmarys.ac.uk.