Dr Germano Gallicchio

• PG Cert in Advanced Research Methods and Skills
  University of Birmingham, 2015–2018
• PhD: Sport & Exercise Sciences
  University of Birmingham, 2015–2018
• MSc: Sport Sciences with Specialization in Sports Psychology
  Lund University, 2011–2013
• MSc: Sports Science: Diagnostic and Intervention
  University of Leipzig, 2011–2013
• MSc: Experimental Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Neuroscience
  University of Padova, 2007–2009
• BSc: Psychological, Cognitive, and Psychobiological Sciences
  University of Padova, 2004–2007

Teaching modules:

• Psychomotor Behaviour (JHX-1027), as module leader
• Biomechanics (JXH-1020), as module leader
• Stress and Performance (JXH/C-3031), as instructor

Supervision.

I supervise UG and PG students for their dissertation/research projects. You can choose between two routes.

ROUTE A: JOIN ONE OF MY PROJECTS. Many details of the study will have already been defined by me, so you may feel that you have less autonomy. However, the study is likely to be bigger than what you need for your research proposal/project. So, while contributing to the whole study, you will have the autonomy to focus on some aspects rather than others (e.g., by examining some variables or some manipulations). You may experience team work if other students also work on the same study. In this case, you will be doing some activities together with others (e.g., data collection) but your project will focus on a specific part of the study, and each student will focus on different aspects. Therefore, your final project will be unique. Due to the theoretical and methodological sophistication, it is likely that this study will eventually result in a scientific publication, and if your contribution is excellent you can be a co-author. To these projects, I will dedicate extra time.

ROUTE B: DESIGN YOUR OWN RESEARCH. You might prefer to design your own research proposal/project, but the research topic will need to be within one of my areas of expertise. You will benefit from greater autonomy, but this will come along with greater responsibility as you will need to identify a conceptual gap in the scientific literature, formulate testable hypotheses, and design a set of procedures (i.e., the "method") to address that specific gap. As this would be your own research, it is very likely that you will carry out individual work. As this may be the first time that you do research (or even that you design a study from scratch), it is likely (but not certain) that the final product will lead to no scientific publication other than your Bangor University dissertation/thesis. To these projects, I will dedicate only my regular time.

 Regardless of which route you choose, here you might find useful resources for your project.

Language

Most of the scientific literature (e.g., journal articles, book chapters) is written in English. If English is not your first language, you might feel at disadvantage compared to your native English-speaking peers. You might feel discouraged thinking that you cannot do as well as them. I know it because I am not a native English speaker and I have seen this in myself and in friends. However, do not feel discouraged. Accept that reading and writing in a foreign language will require you to work harder or dedicate extra time (e.g., reading articles or documents will take longer and will be more effortful, your writing will need to be edited and edited several times).

My research interests lie at the intersection of Biological Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Human Performance. Most recently, I have applied methods of computational psychophysiology in an attempt to advance knowledge in these fields:

• Determinants of superior performance and learning in target sports
• Development of novel techniques to study eye movements during discrete movements
• Effects of physical fatigue on neurophysiology

2021

• E-pub ahead of printEEG correlates of verbal and conscious processing of motor control in sport and human movement: A systematic review
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G. & Wood, G., 24 Jan 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 32 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

2020

• PublishedAll talk? Challenging the use of left-temporal EEG alpha oscillations as valid measures of verbal processing and conscious motor control.
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G., Harrison, N., Johnen, A. K. & Wood, G., Sep 2020, In: Biological Psychology. 155, 107943.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedMind and body: Psychophysiological profiles of instructional and motivational self-talk
  Bellomo, E., Cooke, A., Gallicchio, G., Ring, C. & Hardy, J., Sep 2020, In: Psychophysiology. 57, 9, e13586.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe quiet eye effect: A test of the visual and postural-kinematic hypotheses
  Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., 1 Feb 2020, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. 9, 1, p. 143-159
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2019

• PublishedA psychophysiological account of the quiet eye phenomenon: novel methods and insights
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Jul 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedDon’t look, don’t think, just do it! Towards an understanding of alpha gating in a discrete aiming task.
  Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., Mar 2019, In: Psychophysiology. 56, 3, e13298.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedNeural correlates of motor performance in target sports: the model of movement-related alpha gating
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Jul 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedThe influence of physical exercise on the relation between the phase of cardiac cycle and shooting accuracy in biathlon
  Gallicchio, G., Finkenzeller, T., Sattlecker, G., Lindinger, S. & Hoedlmoser, K., May 2019, In: European Journal of Sport Science. 19, 5, p. 567-575
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2018

• PublishedAssessing ocular activity during performance of motor skills using electrooculography
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Jul 2018, In: Psychophysiology. 55, 7, 12 p., e13070.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedNeurofeedback research in sport: A critical review of the field
  Cooke, A., Bellomo, E., Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., Oct 2018, Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology. Carlstedt, R. (ed.). New York: Routledge, p. 282-303 22 p.
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

2017

• PublishedEye quietness and quiet eye in expert and novice golf performance: An electrooculographic analysis.
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A., Kavussanu, M. & Ring, C., Jul 2017.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedPractice makes efficient: Cortical alpha oscillations are associated with improved golf putting performance
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., 2017, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. p. 89-102
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedQuiet eye and eye quietness: Electrooculographic methods to examine ocular activity in motor control tasks.
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Oct 2017.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

2016

• PublishedLower left temporal-frontal connectivity characterizes expert and accurate performance: High-alpha T7-Fz connectivity as a marker of conscious processing during movement
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Feb 2016, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. 5, 1, p. 14-24
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedShooting under cardiovascular load: Electroencephalographic activity in preparation for biathlon shooting.
  Gallicchio, G., Finkenzeller, T., Sattlecker, G., Lindinger, S. & Hoedlmoser, K., Nov 2016, In: International Journal of Psychophysiology. 109, p. 92-99
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2015

• PublishedConscious processing and cortico-cortical functional connectivity in golf putting.
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Apr 2015.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedPreparatory EEG spectral power and coherence in biathlon rifle shooting: A pilot study.
  Gallicchio, G., Sattlecker, G., Finkenzeller, T. & Hoedlmoser, K., 2015.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedReduced cerebral and cardiovascular hemodynamics during sustained affective stimulation in young women with chronic low blood pressure
  Cellini, N., de Zambotti, M., Covassin, N., Gallicchio, G., Stegagno, L. & Sarlo, M., 1 May 2015, In: Physiology and Behavior. 143, p. 83-89
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2014

• PublishedPreparation for action: Psychophysiological activity preceding a motor skill as a function of expertise, performance outcome, and psychological pressure
  Cooke, A., Kavussanu, M., Gallicchio, G., Willoughby, A., McIntyre, D. & Ring, C., 1 Apr 2014, In: Psychophysiology. 51, 4, p. 374-384
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2013

• PublishedImpaired cerebral and systemic hemodynamics under cognitive load in young hypotensives: a transcranial Doppler study.
  Sarlo, M., de Zambotti, M., Gallicchio, G., Devigili, A. & Stegagno, L., Apr 2013, In: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 36, 2, p. 134-142
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2012

• PublishedTemporal dynamics of cognitive-emotional interplay in moral decision-making.
  Sarlo, M., Lotto, L., Manfrinati, A., Rumiati, R., Gallicchio, G. & Palomba, D., Apr 2012, In: Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 24, 4, p. 1018-1029
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2019

• The advantage of a quiet eye: visual processing or postural stability?

  The quiet eye phenomenon describes the performance advantage conferred by a steady ocular fixation on the critical target of an action (e.g., the ball in golf putting) immediately prior to and during movement execution. Remarkably, the mechanisms underlying the quiet eye-performance association are still the subject of debate. This study adopts a novel multi-measure psychophysiological approach to shed light on the mechanisms behind the quiet eye phenomenon. We tested key predictions of two competing mechanisms: that longer quiet eye is associated with enhanced visual processing (visual hypothesis) or with greater postural-kinematic stability (postural-kinematic hypothesis). Thirty-two recreational golfers putted 20 balls to a 2-m distant target on a flat surface. We examined quiet eye durations using electrooculography, visual processing using electroencephalography, and swing duration using kinematic sensors. Occipital alpha power, an inverse neural marker of visual processing, increased prior to and during swing execution, suggesting decreased visual processing compared to a pre-putt baseline. Importantly, quiet eye duration was strongly and positively correlated with swing duration. Our findings refute the claim for enhanced visual processing in the final moments of closed-loop aiming tasks and support the postural-kinematic account that the duration of the quiet eye is associated with a slow movement execution.

  2019

  Links:

  • https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/37726
  Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

2017

• Practice makes efficient: Effects of golf practice on brain activity

  This study employed a test-retest design to examine changes in brain activity associated with practice of a motor skill. We recorded EEG activity from twelve right-handed recreational golfers (mean handicap: 23) as they putted 50 balls to a 2.4m distant hole, before and after a 3-day practice. We measured changes in putting performance, conscious processing, and regional EEG alpha activity. Putting performance improved and conscious processing decreased after practice. Mediation analyses revealed that performance improvements were associated with changes in EEG alpha, whereby activity in task-irrelevant cortical regions (temporal regions) was inhibited and functionally isolated from activity in task-relevant regions (central regions). These findings provide evidence for the development of greater neurophysiological efficiency with practice of a motor skill.

  2017

  Links:

  • http://epapers.bham.ac.uk/3193/
  Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

2015

• EEG spectral power and coherence during biathlon rifle shooting: A pilot study.

  2015

  Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

Previous positions

• Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)

Ad hoc reviewer for:

I practise Capoeira. I think I play music (it's debatable). I enjoy the outdoors.