Edson Filho
Associate Professor
Dr. Filho is an Associate Professor of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology at Boston University, and the director of the Performance, Recovery and Optimization Lab. His research agenda centers on performance optimization in individual and team settings. More specifically, Dr. Filho studies the individual and shared zones of optimal functioning as well as the relationship among team processes, e.g., cohesion, team mental models, and collective efficacy. He is also interested in developing applied interventions for performance optimization and mental health for athletes and performers across domains.
He is the author of over 100 manuscripts and book chapters and has edited two books on mental skills training in sports and research directions in the field, respectively. Dr. Filho is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, an Established Supervisor and Established Practitioner registered with the International Society of Sport Psychology, and a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. He has worked as a consultant for professional, collegiate, and amateur athletes. His work on performance optimization has been funded by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and been featured in distinguished media outlets including BBC Latin America, The Boston Globe, Nature Lindau, and Scientific American.
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Education
PhD, Sport Psychology, Florida State University
MS, Sports Training, University Federal of Minas Gerais
BS, Physical Education, University Federal of Minas Gerais
Courses
CE 650: Counseling Skills and Techniques for Sport and Exercise Psychology
DS 700: Advanced Seminar in Sport and Exercise Psychology
Research
Dr. Edson Filho is interested in the psychophysiological markers of peak performance, particularly on flow-feeling experiences and the individual zones of optimal functioning framework. Dr. Filho is also interested in the study of high-performing teams, particularly on how cohesion, team mental models, collective efficacy, and intra-team psychophysiological rhythms influence team performance.
Selected Publications
Filho, E. (in press). Shared Zones of Optimal Functioning (SZOF): A framework to capture peak performance, momentum, psycho-bio-social synchrony and leader-follower dynamics in teams. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology.
Filho, E., Piasecki, P., & Groen, M. (2023). Performance Recovery and Optimization for Teams (PRO-TEAMS): A Psychological Skills Training Program to Enhance Team Functioning. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. 10.1080/21520704.2023.2186993
Filho, E., Rettig, J., Gaspar, P., & Bagni, G. (2022). Development and initial validation of the Team Mental Models Instrument (TMMI): A psychometric tool to measure shared and complementary mental models in sports. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 61, 1-8.
Filho, E., Husselman, T., Zugic, L., Penna., E., & Taneva, N. (2022). Performance gains in an open skill video-game task: The role of neural efficiency and neural proficiency. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 47, 239-251.
Filho, E., Dobersek, U., & Husselman, T. (2021). The role of neural efficiency, transient hypofrontality and neural proficiency in optimal performance in self-paced sports: A meta-analytic review. Experimental Brain Research, 239, 1381–1393.
Filho, E. (2020). Shared Zones of Optimal Functioning: A framework to capture peak performance, momentum, psycho-bio-social synchrony, and leader-follower dynamics in teams. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 14, 330–358.
Selected Presentations