Michael J. Ross, Ph.D.

Professor, Clinical Program
Department of Psychology

Courses Taught

Undergraduate: General Psychology, Sport Psychology, Practicum Graduate: Clinical Interventions, Clinical Vertical Team, Research Vertical Team, Clerkship in Sport Psychology, Sport Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Sport Injuries

Education

Ph.D., University of Missouri - Columbia

Research Interests

Sport psychology (flow state, mindfulness-based interventions, motivation, athlete values, psychology of sport injuries, clinical sport neuropsychology), rehabilitation psychology; social cognition in depression and anxiety; ethical beliefs and practices; psychotherapy process and outcome.

Labs and Facilities

Professor Ross is accepting applications for the Fall 2025 academic year with a preference for students with a master's degree in sports psychology and/or experience as a collegiate athlete.

Publications and Media Placements

Publications

Perry, J., Hansen, A., Ross, M., Montgomery, T., & Weinstock, J. (2017). Effectiveness of athletes’ mental strategies in maintaining high heart rate variability: Utility of a brief athlete-specific stress assessment protocol. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology.

Perry, J. E., Ross, M. J., Weinstock, J., & Weaver, T. (2017). Efficacy of a brief mindfulness intervention to enhance athletic task performance. The Sport Psychologist.

Perry, J.E., Ross, M., Weinstock, J., & Gfeller. (in press). Examining the interrelationships between motivation, conscientiousness, and individual sport performance. Journal of Sports Sciences.

Montgomery, T. (2017). The mindful athlete: Secrets to pure performance, by George Mumford. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 8(2), 256.

Montgomery, T., Ross, M., Perry, J., & Hansen, A. (2017). The mental workout: Implementing phase 1 of the ten-minute toughness mental-training program. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 1-10.

Perry, J. & Ross, M. (2016). Establishing a focus in sport psychology within a clinical psychology doctoral program: Reflections from a pilot year. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 7, 1-9.

Peluso, E. A., Ross, M. J., Gfeller, J. D., & LaVoie, D.J. (2005). A comparison of mental strategies during athletic skills performance. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 4, 543-549.

Ross, M. J., & Berger, R. S. (1996). Effects of stress inoculation training on athletes’ postsurgical pain and rehabilitation following orthopedic injury. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 406-410.

Manuscripts under review

Hansen, A. Perry, J., Ross, M., & Montgomery, T. (under review). Facilitating a successful transition out of sport: Introduction of a student-athlete senior workshop. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action.

Merz, Z. C., Perry, J. A., & Ross, M. J. (under review). The role of the clinical sport neuropsychologist: An introductory case example. Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Garner, A., Hansen, A., Baxley, C., & Ross, M. (under review). The use of stimulant medication to treat attention-deficit disorder in elite athletes: A performance and health perspective. Sports Medicine.

Presentations

Perry, J., Ross, M., Weinstock, J., & Weaver (2017, October). Investigation of a brief mindfulness intervention to enhance athletic performance: Research findings and clinical applications. Poster accepted at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), Orlando, FL.

Hansen, A., Perry, J., Ross, M., Montgomery, T., & Merz, Z. (2017, October). Development of the sport psychology outcomes and research tool (SPORT). Poster accepted at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), Orlando, FL.

Merz, Z. C., Perry, J., Ross, M., Montgomery, T., & Hansen, A. (2017, October). Experiences of flow among individual and team-based collegiate athletes. Poster accepted at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), Orlando, FL.

Merz, Z. C., Ross, M., Perry, J., Montgomery, T., & Hansen, A. (2017, October). An exploration of the taxonomy of collegiate athletic values. Poster accepted at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), Orlando, FL.

Kauffman, K., Soulliard, Z.A., Perry, J., Montgomery, T., Hansen, A., Merz, Z., & Ross, M. (2017, October). Influences of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on flow state. Poster accepted to the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Orlando, FL.

Ross, M., & Perry, J. (2017, August). Interventions to improve student-athlete well-being. In D. Glenwick, Y. Harps-Logan, M. Ross, & J. Perry, Faculty Athletic Representative to the NCAA: An innovative service position for academic psychologists. Symposium conducted at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

Perry, J. E., Ross, M. J., Montgomery, T., Hansen, A., & Weinstock, J. (2016, September). Effectiveness of athletes’ coping strategies in maintaining high heart rate variability: Examination of the physiological recovery of collegiate soccer players. Poster presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Phoenix, AZ.

Montgomery, T., Perry, J. P, Hansen, A., & Ross, M.J. (2016, September). An exploratory analysis of sport motivation within men and women collegiate soccer players. Poster presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Phoenix, AZ.

Hansen, A., Perry, J. E., Montgomery, T., & Ross, M. J. (2016, September). Sources of sport confidence among NCAA division 1 colligate student-athletes. Poster presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Phoenix, AZ.

Hansen, A., Johansson, P., & Ross, M. J. (2016, September). Eating disorder risk factors in adolescent athletes: The relationship to individual goal orientation and perceived motivational climate. Poster presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Phoenix, AZ.

Merz, Z. C., Perry, J., & Ross, M. (September, 2016). Experiences of Flow State Among Collegiate Team-Sport Athletes. Poster presentation at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), Phoenix, AZ.

Perry, J. E., Ross, M. J., Weinstock, J., Gfeller, J. (2015, October). Examining the interrelationships between motivation, conscientiousness, and individual endurance sport performance. Poster presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Indianapolis, IN.

Perry, J., Mohr, E., & Kavish, N. (2015, October). Between-sport comparison of athletic body image standards held by coaches. Poster presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Indianapolis, IN.

Perry, J., & Merz, Z. (2015, June). Connecting with athletes: Addressing and understanding barriers to effective communication. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association conference, Cape Girardeau, MO.

Merz, Z. (2015, February). The prevalence of sport concussions in blast concussion literature. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS), Denver, CO.