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Harris College
Department of Kinesiology

Sport & Exercise Psychology Lab

Main Content

Enhancing performance through cognitive and behavior skills training.

TCU’s Sport & Exercise Psychology Lab aims to investigate psychological factors related to participation and performance in sports, exercise and achievement-driven activities, emphasizing the integration of scientific and practical knowledge.

Students within the lab explore ways to improve human performance and assess the psychophysiological aspects of technology’s impact on physical activity. They are also involved in various applied sport psychology research endeavors.

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Location

TCU Rickel Academic Wing
Room 257

Lab Members

Robyn Trocchio

Trocchio is the director of the sport and exercise psychology lab. By actively involving students in her research ventures, she provides them with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience and develop their skills. With her guidance and mentorship, students are able to flourish and achieve their full potential.

Trocchio is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC®) and approved mentor through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She provides mental performance training for athletes and exercisers of all ages.

Trocchio holds a doctorate in educational psychology with a focus on sport and exercise psychology from Florida State University. She also earned an master's in sport and exercise psychology from Barry University and a bachelor's in psychology from the University of Florida.

Sarah Junkersfeld, TCU Sport Psychology LabPh.D. candidate in Health Sciences with an emphasis in sport and exercise psychology focuses her research on uncovering strategies to inspire individuals to adopt physical activity and exploring the identity development of athletes, especially those transitioning out of sports. Sarah’s goal is to become a faculty member at a university and become a CMPC.
Caroline Loy, TCU Sport Psychology LabSecond-year master’s student in the sport and exercise psychology lab focusing on understanding the relationship first-year college students have between exercise and mental health after retiring from competitive sports. Caroline’s goal is to get a doctorate in clinical psychology and become a sport psychologist.
Haylei Scoggins, TCU Sport Psychology LabSecond-year Ph.D. student in the Health Sciences program with an emphasis in sport and exercise psychology whose research interests lie in how to best aid esports athletes and video game players to increase their physical activity habits and better their proficiency in their video game performance. Her goal is to become a faculty member at a university.

Rebekah Gay, TCU Sport Psychology Lab

First year Ph.D. student with a Master of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in sport and exercise psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Movement Science with a minor in Psychology from TCU. Rebekah’s thesis investigated the effects of a four-week digital mindfulness intervention on a rowing task, specifically, the enjoyment of exercise and attentional allocation. Her goals are to obtain a doctorate degree to become a faculty member and become a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). 

Lab Equipment

The Sport & Exercise Psychology Lab utilizes state-of-the-art equipment including:

  • Aviron Interactive Rower
  • Meta Quest 2 (virtual reality headsets)
  • Thought Technology Biofeedback Peak Performance System
  • Wearable Fitness Devices
  • Laptops with Docking Stations

Current Projects

  • How to make exercise more enjoyable utilizing virtual reality, exergaming, mindfulness and music
  • High school athletes’ transition out of sport
  • Physical activity behaviors in adult video game players