Christopher Button, Academic staff, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences

BSc(Hons) PhD(MMU)
Tel +64 3 479 9122
Room 1.25, 55 Union St West
Email chris.button@otago.ac.nz

Background

Chris gained his PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2000, before working at Edinburgh University in Scotland. Chris moved to NZ in 2003. Previous roles at Otago have included the Dean of the School (2017-2021), Director of the Human Performance Centre and the Co-Director of the Lifestyles in NZ research group. As well as carrying out teaching and research, Chris has provided consultancy with several organisations providing advice on Motor Development and Skill Acquisition to the likes of NZ Ministry of Health, Water Safety NZ, Netball NZ, NZ Football, and the Boston Celtics (NBA). Chris is an Executive Committee member of the Australasian Skill Acquisition Network. He is also a Section Editor of NZ Journal of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

Chris lives in Carey's Bay, with his wife Angela and daughter Melanie. In his free time Chris coaches and plays football, he also enjoys outdoor pursuits like tramping and skiing. A keen advocate of active transport, Chris likes to cycle to and from work along the beautiful Otago Peninsula.

Teaching

SPEX 102 Principles of Exercise for Health and Performance
SPEX 202 Movement Analysis and Control
SPEX 311 Sports Technology
SPEX 316 Practicum
SPEX 401 Research Methods for Sport, Exercise and Health

Research

Dr Button's research interests include movement coordination and variability, skill learning, coaching, water safety and survival skills. He has been the recipient of several research grants from organisations such as SportNZ, ACC, and Water Safety New Zealand. Chris has published in several international peer-reviewed journals, and a common theme of this work is the application of movement science to sport within an Ecological Dynamics framework. Summaries of much of his work linking theory to practice can be found in the textbooks, 'Dynamics of Skill Acquisition' (2020: Human Kinetics, 2nd edition), 'Complex Systems in Sport' (2013: Routledge, Taylor & Francis), and 'Nonlinear Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition' (2016: Routledge, Taylor & Francis). See Chris' ResearchGate profile here. Chris's research has been cited over 8,000 times and his h-index is 43 (Google Scholar).

Recent research projects Chris has been involved with include:

Potential postgraduate students wishing to be supervised by Chris must be interested in applying an ecological dynamics framework to physical activity and/or sport. Please consult the University of Otago scholarships webpage to check eligibility for international and domestic student scholarships.

Postgraduate Students

Graduates

Brandon Rasman (2024): The perceptuo-motor processes underpinning dynamic balance in surfers. Dr Chris Button and Dr Jon Shemmell.
Carolina Burnay (2020): Exploring affordances for infants in aquatic environments. Dr James Croft, Dr Chris Button, Dr Rita Cordovil & Dr David Anderson.
Alana Coombe (2020): Training tactical and technical skills in elite netballers. Dr Sarah-Kate Millar, Dr Chris Button and Dr Tony Oldham.
Jonathan Leo Ng (2019): Assessment of fundamental movement skill competency. Dr Chris Button.
Andrew Walsh (2019): Affordance based control in rock-climbing. Dr James Croft, Dr Chris Button & Dr Ludovic Seifert.
Cameron Ross (2019): Tracking the physical demands of snowsport athletes. Dr Chris Button, Dr Peter Lamb & Dr Paul McAlpine.
Chanel Phillips (2019). A Māori approach to water safety. Dr Anne-Marie Jackson, Dr Hauiti Hakopa, & Dr Chris Button.

Publications

Button, C., van Duijn, T., Cocker, K., Trotter-Dunn, G., & Seifert, L. (2023). Does a combined swimming pool and open water education programme for children develop adaptable water safety competencies? Journal of Sport & Exercise Science, 7(2), 18-28. doi: 10.36905/jses.2023.02.03 Journal - Research Article

Burnay, C., Anderson, D. I., Button, C., & Cordovil, R. (2023). Effect of baby swimming lessons on infants’ avoidance of bodies of water. Developmental Psychobiology, 65(8), e22434. doi: 10.1002/dev.22434 Journal - Research Article

Button, C., Ng, J. L., Burnay, C., & van Duijn, T. (2022). Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention. Asian Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 2, 59-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ajsep.2022.04.001 Journal - Research Article

Button, C., Croft, J. L., Cotter, J. D., Graham, M. J., & Lucas, S. J. E. (2015). Integrative physiological and behavioral responses to sudden cold-water immersion are similar in skilled and less-skilled swimmers. Physiology & Behavior, 138, 254-259. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.10.024 Journal - Research Article

Seifert, L., Button, C., & Davids, K. (2013). Key properties of expert movement systems in sport: An ecological dynamics perspective. Sports Medicine, 43(3), 167-178. doi: 10.1007/s40279-012-0011-z Journal - Research Article

Button, C., Dicks, M., Haines, R., Barker, R., & Davids, K. (2011). Statistical modelling of gaze behaviour as categorical time series: What you should watch to save soccer penalties. Cognitive Processing, 12, 235-244. doi: 10.1007/s10339-010-0384-6 Journal - Research Article

Davids, K., Button, C., & Bennett, S. (2008). Dynamics of skill acquisition: A constraints-led approach. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 251p. Authored Book - Research

Lee, M. C. Y., Chow, J. Y., Komar, J., Tan, C. W. K., & Button, C. (2014). Nonlinear Pedagogy: An effective approach to cater for individual differences in learning a sports skill. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e104744. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104744 Journal - Research Article

Chow, J. Y., Davids, K., Button, C., Shuttleworth, R., Renshaw, I., & Araújo, D. (2007). The role of nonlinear pedagogy in physical education. Review of Educational Research, 77(3), 251-278. doi: 10.3102/003465430305615 Journal - Research Article

Barris, S., & Button, C. (2008). A review of vision-based motion analysis in sport. Sports Medicine, 38(12), 1025-1043. Journal - Research Article

Seifert, L., Leblanc, H., Herault, R., Komar, J., Button, C., & Chollet, D. (2011). Inter-individual variability in the upper-lower limb breaststroke coordination. Human Movement Science, 30(3), 550-565. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2010.12.003 Journal - Research Article

Dutt-Mazumder, A., Button, C., Robins, A., & Bartlett, R. (2011). Neural network modelling and dynamical system theory: Are they relevant to study the governing dynamics of association football players? Sports Medicine, 41(12), 1003-1017. doi: 10.2165/11593950-000000000-00000 Journal - Research Article

Hewitt, J., Cronin, J., Button, C., & Hume, P. (2011). Understanding deceleration in sport. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 33(1), 47-52. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181fbd62c Journal - Research Article

Rein, R., Davids, K., & Button, C. (2010). Adaptive and phase transition behavior in performance of discrete multi-articular actions by degenerate neurobiological systems. Experimental Brain Research, 201(2), 307-322. doi: 10.1007/s00221-009-2040-x Journal - Research Article

Dicks, M., Button, C., & Davids, K. (2010). Availability of advance visual information constrains association-football goalkeeping performance during penalty kicks. Perception, 39(8), 1111-1124. doi: 10.1068/p6442 Journal - Research Article

Rein, R., Button, C., Davids, K., & Summers, J. (2010). Cluster analysis of movement patterns in multiarticular actions: A tutorial. Motor Control, 14(2), 211-239. Journal - Research Article

Dicks, M., Button, C., & Davids, K. (2010). Examination of gaze behaviors under in situ and video simulation task constraints reveals differences in information pickup for perception and action. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 72(3), 706-720. doi: 10.3758/app.72.3.706 Journal - Research Article

Dicks, M., Davids, K., & Button, C. (2010). Individual differences in the visual control of intercepting a penalty kick in association football. Human Movement Science, 29, 401-411. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2010.02.008 Journal - Research Article

Hewit, J., Cronin, J., Button, C., & Hume, P. (2010). Understanding change of direction performance via the 90 degrees turn and sprint test. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 32(6), 82-88. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181f9d8d6 Journal - Research Article

Croft, J. L., Button, C., & Dicks, M. (2010). Visual strategies of sub-elite cricket batsmen in response to different ball velocities. Human Movement Science, 29(5), 751-763. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2009.10.004 Journal - Research Article

Chow, J. Y., Davids, K., Button, C., Rein, R., Hristovski, R., & Koh, M. (2009). Dynamics of multi-articular coordination in neurobiological systems. Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology & Life Sciences, 13(1), 27-55. Journal - Research Article

Newsham-West, R., Button, C., Milburn, P. D., Mündermann, A., Sole, G., Schneiders, A. G., & Sullivan, S. J. (2009). Training habits and injuries of masters' level football players: A preliminary report. Physical Therapy in Sport, 10(2), 63-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2009.01.002 Journal - Research Article

Chow, J. Y., Davids, K., Button, C., & Koh, M. (2008). Coordination changes in a discrete multi-articular action as a function of practice. Acta Psychologica, 127(1), 163-176. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2007.04.002 Journal - Research Article

Chow, J. Y., Davids, K., Button, C., & Rein, R. (2008). Dynamics of movement patterning in learning a discrete multiarticular action. Motor Control, 12(3), 219-240. Journal - Research Article

Uehara, L. A., Button, C., & Davids, K. (2008). The effects of focus of attention instructions on novices learning soccer chip. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity, 2(1), 63-67. Journal - Research Article

Button, C., & Abbott, A. (2007). Nature-nurture and sport performance. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 38(1), 83-88. Journal - Research Other

Button, C., Anderson, N., Bradford, C., Cotter, J. D., & Ainslie, P. N. (2007). The effect of multidirectional mechanical vibration on peripheral circulation of humans. Clinical Physiology & Functional Imaging, 27(4), 211-216. Journal - Research Article

Schnitzler, C., Button, C., Seifert, L., & Croft, J. (2014). Analysing expertise through data mining: An example based on treading water. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32(12), 1186-1195. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2013.876085 Journal - Research Article

Davids, K., Hristovski, R., Araújo, D., Balagué Serre, N., Button, C., & Passos, P. (Eds.). (2014). Complex systems in sport. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 338p. Edited Book - Research

Chow, J. Y., Koh, M., Davids, K., Button, C., & Rein, R. (2014). Effects of different instructional constraints on task performance and emergence of coordination in children. European Journal of Sport Science, 14(3), 224-232. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2013.780097 Journal - Research Article

Chow, J. Y., Tan, C. W. K., Lee, M. C. Y., & Button, C. (2014). Possibilities and implications of using a motion-tracking system in physical education. European Physical Education Review, 20(4), 444-464. doi: 10.1177/1356336x14535057 Journal - Research Article

Bartlett, R., Button, C., Robins, M., Dutt-Mazumder, A., & Kennedy, G. (2012). Analysing team coordination patterns from player movement trajectories in soccer: Methodological considerations. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 12(2), 398-424. Journal - Research Article

Vilar, L., Araújo, D., Davids, K., & Button, C. (2012). The role of ecological dynamics in analysing performance in team sports. Sports Medicine, 42(1), 1-10. doi: 10.2165/11596520-000000000-00000 Journal - Research Article

Schnitzler, C., Brazier, T., Button, C., Seifert, L., & Chollet, D. (2011). Effect of velocity and added resistance on selected coordination and force parameters in front crawl. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(10), 2681-2690. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318207ef5e Journal - Research Article

Mascarenhas, D. R. D., Button, C., O'Hare, D., & Dicks, M. (2009). Physical performance and decision making in association football referees: A naturalistic study. Open Sports Sciences Journal, 2(1). doi: 10.2174/1875399X00902010001 Journal - Research Article

van Duijn, T., Button, C., Cotter, J. D., & Masters, R. S. W. (2023). Energetic and cognitive demands of treading water: Effects of technique and expertise. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 22(4), 726-738. doi: 10.52082/jssm.2023.726 Journal - Research Article

Chow, J. Y., Meerhoff, L. A., Choo, C. Z. Y., Button, C., & Tan, B. S.-J. (2023). The effect of nonlinear pedagogy on the acquisition of game skills in a territorial game. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1077065. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1077065 Journal - Research Article

Burnay, C., Anderson, D. I., Button, C., Cordovil, R., & Peden, A. E. (2022). Infant drowning prevention: Insights from a new ecological psychology approach. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 19, 4567. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084567 Journal - Research Other

Anderson, N., Button, C., & Lamb, P. (2022). The effect of educational gymnastics on postural control of young children. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 936680. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.936680 Journal - Research Article

Uehara, L., Davids, K., Pepping, G.-J., Gray, R., & Button, C. (2022). The role of family and football academy in developing Brazilian football expertise. International Sports Studies, 44(2), 6-21. doi: 10.30819/iss.44-2.02 Journal - Research Article

van Duijn, T., Button, C., & Masters, R. S. W. (2021). A multidisciplinary comparison of different techniques among skilled water treaders. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, 719788. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.719788 Journal - Research Article

Uehara, L., Button, C., Saunders, J., Araújo, D., Falcous, M., & Davids, K. (2021). Malandragem and Ginga: Socio-cultural constraints on the development of expertise and skills in Brazilian football. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(3), 622-635. doi: 10.1177/1747954120976271 Journal - Research Article

van Duijn, T., Ng, J. L., Burnay, C., Anderson, N., Uehara, L., Cocker, K., & Button, C. (2021). The influence of equipment and environment on children and young adults learning aquatic skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 733489. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733489 Journal - Research Article

Uehara, L., Falcous, M., Button, C., Davids, K., Araújo, D., de Paula, A. R., & Saunders, J. (2021). The poor "wealth" of Brazilian football: How poverty may shape skill and expertise of players. Frontiers in Sports & Active Living, 3, 635241. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2021.635241 Journal - Research Article

Guignard, B., Button, C., Davids, K., & Seifert, L. (2020). Education and transfer of water competencies: An ecological dynamics approach. European Physical Education Review, 26(4), 938-953. doi: 10.1177/1356336X20902172 Journal - Research Article

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Background

Teaching

Research

Postgraduate Students

Graduates

Publications