Assistant Professor
Department of Kinesiology
Office: Science & Learning Center (SLC) 322A
Email: myamada@whittier.edu
Academic History
B.S. in Kinesiology (Applied Fitness), California State University, Northridge (CSUN)
M.S. in Ed in Kinesiology (Exercise Science), Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (SIU)
Ph.D. in Kinesiology (Applied Neuromechanics), The University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Postdoctoral scholar (Biomechanics), The University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Postdoctoral fellow (Motor Control & Neuroscience), Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (PA)
Bio
Masahiro Yamada is an assistant professor of Kinesiology specializing in Motor Learning and Control. Dr. Yamada was born and raised in Osaka (Japan). At a young age, Dr. Yamada served as the youth leader of Osaka City, assisting in the planning and administration of activities oriented toward supporting adolescents in the community. Addtionally during this time, he helped boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Horie Elementary School as an assistant coach and coached the Women’s Basketball team at Horie Middle School as a head coach, both of which were supported by Osaka City. While in the undergraduate and graduate programs, Dr. Yamada interned in athletic training, activities teaching exercise to older adults, as a research assistant in Biomechanics and Motor Development, and in strength and conditioning for high school and college athletes as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA-CSCS). In his Ph.D. program, Dr. Yamada also led a 12-week balance training intervention program to prevent falls in older adults, supported by his mentor’s NIH-funded project. In his first postdoctoral position, he was involved in research projects to identify neuromotor dysfunctions from concussions using biomechanical analyses with a smartphone app (DoD-funded projects). In his second postdoctoral position, he was involved in multiple NIH-funded projects related to movement rehabilitation in individuals with neurological disorders using 3-D motion analysis and TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation).
Dr. Yamada’s research focuses on identifying an optimal instructional strategy to enhance motor learning for rehabilitation and sports performance. Dr. Yamada’s research question centers on cognition, investigating questions such as “How does directing attention to different cues optimize performance?” “How do the perceptions of task difficulty affect the rate of learning?” and “How can individual differences in perceptions (preference, visualization ability) change the effectiveness of instructional strategies?” Dr. Yamada has published more than 17 peer-reviewed scientific journals as a first, second, or senior author, with more than 50 presentations at national and international conferences (2024). Currently, Dr. Yamada has served as a peer reviewer of 12 scientific journals in the area of Motor Behavior, Kinesiology, and Sports Psychology.
Merging his research and clinical experiences, Dr. Yamada also provides hands-on experiences to students on developing muscular strength in clinical populations and developing movement patterns in children by working with athletic trainers, sports coaches, strength coaches, and teachers. Prior to joining Whittier College, Dr. Yamada taught Motor Learning & Control, Strength & Conditioning, Exercise Physiology, Clinical Human Anatomy, and Wellness courses, with various hands-on seminars (e.g., Using R programming for statistical analyses to professors and scientists; and the use of Blood Flow Restriction in rehabilitation to scientists and clinicians; Learning and Writing English to students in Japan). At Whittier College, Dr. Yamada teaches Motor Learning & Control, Research Methods, Exercise Physiology Lab, Biomechanics, and Introduction to Kinesiology.
Current Research/Hands-on Projects
Blood Flow Restriction in Student-Athletes *
Preference, Familiarity, and Perception of Usefulness of Instruction *
Optimal Task Difficulty in Golf Putting
Motor Imagery Ability and Attentional Focus on Dart Throwing
Optimizing Throwing Accuracy in Children (Faculty mentor of Whittier College undergraduate research fellowship) *
Times-Series Variability of Heart Rate, Gaze, and Postural Control in Concussed Athletes (Faculty Research Grants) *
* Student-involved activities
Publications
See the full list of publications on Google Scholar.
Yamada, M., Jacob, J., Johnson, T., Hesling, J., Wittenberg, G., & Kantak, S. (2024). Goal conceptualization has distinct effects on spatial and temporal bimanual coordination after left- and right- hemisphere stroke.
Yamada, M., Lohse, K., Rhea, C. K., Schmitz, R., & Raisbeck, L. D. (2024). Do attentional focus cues affect the type or number of explicit rules? Proof of concepts of the self-invoking trigger or explicit knowledge hypotheses? Psychology of sport and exercise, 70, 102547.
Narasaki-Jara, M., Brolsma, D., Abdolrazagh, K., Sun,K., Yamada, M., Mitani, A. A., & Jung, T.(2023). Quality of life in individuals with disabilities through student-led service-learning program: Qualitative and quantitative analysis to examine the reciprocal benefits of service learning. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 43(1), 161-170.
Rhea, C. K., Yamada, M., Kuznetsov, N. A., Jakiela, J. T., Lojacono, C. T., Ross, S. E., Haran, F. J., Bailie, J. M., & Wright, W. G. (2022). Neuromotor changes after a concussion can be detected with a custom smartphone app. PLoS ONE, 17(12): e0278994.
