Associate Professor Robert Vaughan

Head of Psychological Sciences

School of Human and Social Sciences

robert.vaughan@uwl.ac.uk

Dr Robert Vaughan joined the University of West London as Head of Psychological Sciences in the School of Human and Social Sciences in 2023. Prior to this, Robert was a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at York St John University from 2014 to 2023.

Robert completed his BSc in Psychology (2008), MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology (2014), and PhD examining 'The Role of Intelligence in Sports' (2016) at Ulster University. Robert sits on the editorial boards of the journals Stress & Health and Perceptual and Motor Skills, as well holding the Research Lead role of British Psychological Society's Sport and Exercise Psychology Division.

Robert has published over 35 books, book chapters and peer-reviewed articles and given interviews on this body of work to outlets such as the BBC. This work was achieved in collaboration with international researchers and research students. Robert’s research has received over £60,000 in external funding and he has given invited talks on his research to organisations such as the Football Association England.

As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Robert has served as external examiner at Bath Spa University and the University of Huddersfield, validated British Psychological Society accredited courses and lead on student centred initiatives such as Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS).

Qualifications

BSc Hons Psychology (Ulster University)
MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology (Ulster University)
PhD Psychology (Ulster University)
Memberships

Chartered Psychologist - British Psychological Society (CPsychol)
Research Lead - British Psychological Society Sport and Exercise Psychology Division
Senior Fellow - the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Teaching

Robert has taught across a range undergraduate and postgraduate courses on topics such as Sport and Exercise Psychology, Personality and Individual Differences, Health Psychology and statistics and research methods modules.

Research

Research and publications

Books
Vaughan, R. S. (2024). Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Student’s Guide to Research. London, UK: McGraw Hill.
Book chapters
Vaughan, R. S., Brimmell, J., Krenn, B. (2023). The role of executive functions in elite athlete mental health. In S. Martin, I. Nixdorf, J. Beckmann, T. MacIntyre, & R. Nixdorf, (Ed.), Handbook of Mental Health in Elite Sport. UK: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003099345-13
Vaughan, R. S. & Jonason, P. K. (2021). Final considerations for measurement. In P. K. Jonason (Ed.), Measurement of Dark Personalities. UK: Hogrefe.
Vaughan, R. (2015). Measurement of leadership in sport. In D. Murray, I. O’Boyle, & P. Cummins, (Ed.), Leadership in Sport (pp. 136-151). UK: Taylor & Francis.
Peer reviewed publications
Grugan, M. C., Olsson, L. F., Vaughan, R. S., Madigan, D. J., & Hill, A. P. (2024). Factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ). Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 73, 102638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102638
Zajonz, P., Vaughan, R. S., & Laborde, S. (2024). A Two-sample examination of the relationship between trait emotional intelligence, burnout, and coping strategies in athletes. The Sport Psychologist. Advance Online Publication.
Edwards, E. J., Kahn, A., & Vaughan, R. S. (2024). Anxiety related distractibility deficits: Too much smartphone use is not such a smart call. Behaviour & Information Technology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2274891
Brimmell, J., Edwards, E. J., & Vaughan, R. S. (2023). Executive function and visual attention in sport: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2022.2145574
Bryan, W., Donachie, T. C., Vaughan, R. S., & Madigan, D. L. (2023). Don’t look back in anger: A cross-sectional and dyadic examination of the Dark Triad, anger, and aggression in athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 64, 102305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2022.102305
Douglass, M. D., Stirrat, M., Koehn, M. A., & Vaughan, R. S. (2023). The relationship between the Dark Triad and attitudes towards feminism. Personality and Individual Differences, 200, 111889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.1189
McHugh, R., Vaughan, R. S., Duarte, C., McDevitt-Petrovic, O., & Kirby, K. (2023). Psychometric properties of the cystic fibrosis eating attitudes and behaviours scale (CFEAB) in an adult population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 111123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111123
Sinani, C., Henderson, R. A., Yeo, S., Vaughan, R. S., & Punt, T. D. (2023). Implicit motor sequence learning in adults with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-023-00327-4
Edwards, E. J., Zhang, X., Chu, K. L., Cosgrove, L. K., & Vaughan, R. S. (2022). Explaining individual differences in cognitive performance: The role of anxiety, social support and living arrangements during COVID-19. Personality and Individual Differences, 198, 111826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111826
Edwards, E. J., Taylor, C. S., & Vaughan, R. S. (2022). Individual differences in self-esteem and social anxiety predict problem smartphone use in adolescents. School Psychology International, 43(5), 460-476. https://doi.org/10.1177/01430343221111061
You, M., Laborde, S., Agnes, S., & Vaughan, R. S. (2022). Influence of personality and emotional competences on academic performance: Direct and indirect pathways mediated by perceived stress. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 10(1), 61-70. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2021.111423
Brimmell, J., Edwards, E. J., Smith, M. M., & Vaughan, R. S. (2021). Think, see, do: Executive function, visual attention, and soccer penalty performance. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 10(2), 290-309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/spy0000265
Grugan, M., Hill, A. P., Mallinson-Howard, S., Donachie, T., Olsson, L., Madigan, D. J., & Vaughan, R. S. (2021). Development and initial validation of the Perfectionistic Climate Questionnaire-Sport (PCQ-S). Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 56, 101997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101997
Hagyard, J. D., Brimmell, J., Edwards, E. J., & Vaughan, R. S. (2021). Inhibitory control across athletic expertise and its relationship with sport performance. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 43(1), 14-27. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2020-0043
Laborde, S., Guillén, F., & Vaughan, R. S. (2021). Convergent validity analysis between the Profile of Emotional Competences full-form and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire full-form. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20, 2542-2558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-021-00531-0
Laborde, S., Zammit, N., Iskra, M., Borges, U., Dosseville, F., & Vaughan, R. S. (2021). Emotional intelligence training: influence of a brief slow-paced breathing exercise on psychophysiological variables linked to emotion regulation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 6630. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126630
Vaughan, R. S., Hagyard, J. D., Brimmell, J., & Edwards, E. J. (2021). The effect of trait emotional intelligence on working-memory across athletic expertise. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(6), 629-637. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1840039
Vaughan, R. S., Hagyard, J. D, Edwards, E. J., & Jackson, R. C. (2021). Athletic expertise and reflection impulsivity: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(10), 1436-1447. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1861106
Vaughan, R. S., & Laborde, S. (2021). Attention, working-memory control, working-memory capacity, and sport performance: The moderating role of athletic expertise. European Journal of Sports Science, 21(2), 240-249. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1739143
Vaughan, R. S., & Madigan D. J. (2021). The winner takes it all: The mediating role of competitive orientations in the Dark Triad and sport task performance relationship. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(8), 1183-1192. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1825822
Vaughan, R. S., & McConville, C. (2021). Executive function and mood: The moderating role of athletic expertise. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 128(2), 672-691. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0031512520987364
You, M., Laborde, S., Borges, U., Vaughan, R. S., & Dosseville, D. (2021). Cognitive failures: Relationship with perceived emotions, stress, and resting vagally-mediated heart rate variability. Sustainability, 13(24), 13616. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413616
Laborde, S., Gerlach, S., & Vaughan, R. S. (2020). Hitchhiking: Associations with Big Five and emotional competences. Psychological Reports, 124(5), 2229-2236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0033294120953556
Vaughan, R. S., & Edwards, E. J. (2020). Executive function and personality: The moderating role of athletic expertise. Personality and Individual Differences, 161, 109973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.109973
Vaughan, R. S., Edwards, E. J., & MacIntyre, T. E. (2020). Mental health measurement in a post Covid-19 world: Psychometric properties and invariance of the DASS-21 in athletes and non-athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 11: 590559. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590559
Vaughan, R., Laborde, S., & McConville, C. (2019). The effect of athletic expertise and trait emotional intelligence on decision-making. European Journal of Sport Sciences, 19(2), 225-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1510037
Vaughan, R., Madigan, D. J., Carter, G. L., & Nichols, A. (2019). The Dark Triad in male and female athletes and non-athletes: Group differences and psychometric properties of the Short Dark Triad (SD3). Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 43, 64-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.01.002
Vaughan, R., Carter, G. L., Cockroft, D., & Maggiorini, L. (2018). Harder, better, faster, stronger? Mental toughness, the dark triad and physical activity. Personality and Individual Differences, 131, 206-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.05.002
Vaughan, R., Hanna, D., & Breslin, G. (2018). Psychometric properties of the mental toughness questionnaire 48 (MTQ48) in elite, amateur and nonathletes. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 7(2), 128-140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/spy0000114
Vaughan, R., & Laborde, S. (2018). Psychometrics of the emotional intelligence scale in elite, amateur and nonathletes. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 22(2), 177-189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1091367X.2017.1405811
Kelly, C., Vaughan, R., MacIntyre, T., Moran, A. P., & Campbell, M. (2012). Meta-Imagery Scale for Sport: Development of a comprehensive measure of athletes’ meta-imagery abilities. Journal of Mental Imagery, 36(4), 68-79.
Pre-prints
Zajonz, P., Laborde, S., & Vaughan, R. S. (2023). Emotional intelligence and athlete burnout – a two-sample examination of the relationship between trait emotional intelligence, burnout, and coping strategies in athletes. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xq6zs
Brimmell, J., & Vaughan, R. S. (2022). Moving online: Comparing executive function and visual attention performance online and in the laboratory–A brief report. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/4kg8b
McHugh, R. M., Vaughan, R. S., Duarte, C., McDevitt-Petrovic, O. M., Kirby, K. (2022). Psychometric Properties of the CFEAB. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/7r4h9
Conferences

Vaughan, R. S. (Chair), Nixon, E., Marchant, D., & Romano-Smith, S. (2021, November). Executive functions & motor control in sport. Symposia presented at the British Psychological Society Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology Annual Conference (DSEP), Liverpool, England.
Vaughan, R. S. (Chair), Brimmell, J., Krenn, B., Savelsbergh, G., & Hagyard, J. D. (2019, July). Executive functions in sport: Current trends and future prospects. Symposia presented at the 15th European Congress of Sport & Exercise Psychology (FEPSAC), Munster, Germany.
Vaughan, R. S., Hagyard, J. D., Edwards, E. J., & Smith, M. M. (2018, November). Executive function and athlete expertise: A longitudinal study over a playing season. Paper presented at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES), Harrogate, England.
Vaughan, R. S., Laborde, S., Kennedy, I., & Fallon, K. (2017, July). The Relationship between Personality Trait-like Individual Differences in Elite, Amateur and Non-athletes. Paper presented at the 14th World Congress of Sport Psychology (ISSP), Seville, Spain.
Vaughan, R., Liddell, C., & McConville, C. (2016, November). Inhibition and athlete performance: A longitudinal analysis. Paper presented at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES), Nottingham, England.
Vaughan, R., Liddell, C., & McConville, C. (2015, June). Executive Function Differences across Athletic Expertise. Paper presented at the British Society for the Psychology of Individual Differences (BSPID), York, England.
Vaughan, R., Liddell, C., & McConville, C. (2013, May). Factorial validity and reliability of psychological measures in sport specific samples: An example of trait emotional intelligence. Paper presented at the Northern Ireland Branch of the British Psychological Society (NIBPS), Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.
Vaughan, R., Liddell, C., & McConville, C. (2012, May). The relationship between emotional intelligence, cohesion, and personality in team and individual athletes. Paper presented at the Northern Ireland Branch of the British Psychological Society (NIBPS), Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.
Research degree supervision

Robert's research primarily focuses on three areas of sport and exercise psychology, namely executive function, personality and psychometrics. All three intersect across athletic expertise and the individual differences associated with elite athletes. Robert's work also spans areas such as Health Psychology examining measurement issues in special populations. Robert is an active member of the Open Science Movement and has incorporated these practices in his published work.
Robert has supervised over 12 research students to completion and published these projects in international peer-reviewed journals. Robert is interested in collaborating with potential students on any of these and related topics utilising a range of methodologies.