Dr. Barbi Law

 

Education

BKin (Honours), McMaster University;
MA, University of Ottawa;
PhD, University of Western Ontario

 

Specialization and Interests

Areas of Specialization:

• Applied sport psychology interventions (e.g., imagery, modeling)
• Children's physical activity promotion

My research program explores strategies for creating positive sport and physical activity experiences, with a focus on children. Projects explore topics such as:

• Use of mental skills to enhancing learning, performance, and self-beliefs
• Children's development of physical literacy
• School-based physical activity
• Coaches' integration of sport psychology into practice

Dr. Law is also a certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA-ACPS). She has provided mental training services and workshops to athletes, teams, and coaches from recreational to elite competitive levels.

Current Research and Funding

• Opportunities for Moving More and Sitting Less: Exploring a Whole School Approach to Improve Children’s 24-Hour Movement Patterns (Co-Principal Investigator, funded by CIHR)
• What is a Picture Worth? Exploring Children’s Modeling Use in Sport (Principal Investigator, funded by SSHRC)
• Understanding adolescents’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour choices, motives, and quality of life during COVID-19 pandemic recovery (Co- Principal Investigator, funded by SSHRC)
• Exploring Physical Activity Contributions within the School Day (Principal Investigator, funded by Nipissing University Research Council)
• Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation

      

      

Courses Taught

• PHED 1016 Motor Development
• PHED 2026 Sport & Exercise Psychology
• PHED 3306 Statistics in Physical Activity
• PHED 4007 Health & Exercise Psychology
• PHED 4046 Contemporary Social Issues in Sport and Physical Activity
• PHED 4076 Applied Sport & Performance Psychology
• KINE 5026 Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology
• KINE 5206 Integrative Seminar in Kinesiology

Partnerships

Dr. Law is a founder of the Sport Psychology for Coaches website; a free resource for coaches with credible and up to date sport psychology information.

For more information, please visit the Sport Psychology for Coaches website:

https://sportpsychologyforcoaches.ca 

Select Publications

Papers in Refereed Journals:

1. Bruner, B., Shwed, A., & Law, B. (February 2024). Examining the effectiveness of a professional development conference to increase knowledge and skills to promote physical literacy among children. PHEnex, 14(1). https://ojs.acadiau.ca/index.php/phenex/article/view/4382
2. Shwed, A., Bruner, B., Law, B., & Bruner, M. (2023). Investigating the impact of food rewards on children’s motivation to participate in sport. Children, 10(3), 432. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030432
3. Da Costa, B. G. G., Bruner, B., Raymer, G., Scharoun Benson, S. M., Chaput, J. P., McGoey, T., Rickwood, G., Robertson-Wilson, J., Saunders, T. J., & Law, B. (2022). Association of daily and time-segmented physical activity and sedentary behaviour with mental health of school children and adolescents from rural Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1025444
4. Da Costa, B. G. G., Bruner, B., Scharoun Benson, S., Raymer, G., & Law, B. (2022). Canadian children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviours during time-segments of the school day. American Journal of Health Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2022.2071781
5. Farhat, J., Deck, S., Mitchell, M., Hall, C., Law, B., Gregg, M., Pope, J. P., & Nelson Ferguson, K. (2022). If you build it, will they come? Assessing coaches’ perceptions of a sport psychology website. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 17(3). 490-499. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541211066382
6. Saunders, T., Rollo, S., Kuzik, N., Demchenko, I.,…Law, B…. Tremblay, M. S. (2022). International school-related sedentary behaviour recommendations for children and youth. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01259-3
7. Kuzik, N., da Costa, B. G. G., Hwang, Y., … Law, B., … Saunders, T. J. (2022). School-related sedentary behaviours and indicators of health and well-being among children and youth: A systematic review. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01258-4
8. Van Woezik, R. A., McLaren, C. D., Côté, J., Erickson, K., Law, B., Lafrance Horning, D., Callary, B., & Bruner, M. W. (2021). Real versus ideal: Understanding how coaches gain knowledge. International Sport Coaching Journal, 9(2), 189-202. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2021-0010
9. Sutcliffe, J. T., McLaren, C. D., Benson, A. J., Martin, L. J., Arnocky, S., Shields, C., Law, B., Dorsch, T. E., & Bruner, M. W. (2020). Parents’ moral intentions towards antisocial parent behaviour: An identity approach in youth sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 49, 101699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101699.
10. Law, B., Post, P., O, J., & McCullagh, P. (2018). Video-based observation in sport: From ‘forgotten’ to ubiquitous. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. doi: 10.1080/21520704.2018.1513962
11. Law, B., Bruner, B., Scharoun Benson, S. M., Anderson, K., Gregg, M., Hall, N., … & Tremblay, M. S. (2018). Associations between teacher training and measures of physical literacy among Canadian 8 to 12 year old students. BMC Public Health, 18(Suppl 2), 1039. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5894
12. Tremblay, M. S., Longmuir, P. E., Barnes, J. D., Belanger, K., Anderson, K. D., Bruner, B., Copeland, J. L., Delisle Nyström, C., Gregg, M. J., Hall, N., Kolen, A. M., Lane, K. N., Law, B.,…& Woodruff, S. J. (2018). Physical literacy levels of Canadian children aged 8-12 years: Descriptive and normative results from the RBC Learn to Play-CAPL project. BMC Public Health, 18(Suppl 2), 1036. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5891-x
13. Saunders, T. J., Longmuir, P. E., Barnes, J., Belanger, K., Bruner, B., Copeland, J. L., Gregg, M. J., Hall, N., Kolen, A. M., Law, B., … & Tremblay, M. S. (2018). The relationship between sedentary behaviour and physical literacy in Canadian children. BMC Public Health, 18(Suppl 2), 1037. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5892-9.
14. Lang, J., Longmuir, P. E., Tomkinson, G., Belanger, K., Anderson, K. D., Bruner, B., Copeland, J. L., Gregg, M. J., Hall, N., Kolen, A. M., Lane, K. N. Law, B., … & Tremblay, M. S. (2018). Comparing physical literacy levels across Canadian children aged 8-12 years dichotomized as fit or unfit. BMC Public Health, 18(Suppl 2), 1041. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5896-5.
15. Belanger, K., Barnes, J. D., Longmuir, P. E., Anderson, K. D., Bruner, B., Copeland, J. L., Gregg, M. J., Hall, N., Kolen, A. M., Lane, K. N., Law, B., … & Tremblay MS. (2018). The relationship between physical literacy scores and adherence to Canadian physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines. BMC Public Health, 18(Suppl 2), 1042. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5897-4.
16. MacDonald, D. J., Longmuir, P. E., Barnes, J., Belanger, K., Bruner, B., Copeland, J. L., Gregg, M. J., Hall, N., Kolen, A. M., Law, B., … & Tremblay, M. S. (2018). Predicting children’s perceptions of physical activity adequacy and predilection from physical competence measures. BMC Public Health, 18(Suppl 2), 1038. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5893-8.

Books:

1. Gregg, M., Law, B., O, J., & Davies, K. (2012). Understanding Sport Psychology: Activities for Putting it all Together. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Book Chapters: 

1. Law, B., Post, P., & McCullagh, P. (2017). Modeling in sport and performance. In E. Acevedo (Eds.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Sport and Performance Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. Published online December 19, 2017. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.159.
2. McCullagh, P., Ste-Marie, D. M., & Law, B. (2014). Chapter 7: Modeling: Is what you see, what you get? In J. Van Raalte & B. Brewer (Eds.), Exploring Sport and Exercise Psychology (3rd ed., pp. 139-162). APA Press. https://doi.org/10.1037/14251-007
3. McCullagh, P., Law, B., & Ste-Marie, D. M. (2012). Chapter 13: Modeling and performance. In S. Murphy (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Performance Psychology (pp. 250-272). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199731763.013.0013