Sarah Ullrich-French

Teaching / Professional interests

Dr. Sarah Ullrich-French teaches courses in sport and exercise psychology, motivation theory, and research methods. She is an active participant in the international professional organization, the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA). Dr. Ullrich-French is an Associate Editor of Sport, Exercise, and Performance, Psychology.

Research interests

Dr. Ullrich-French’s research addresses mechanisms that maximize positive physical activity experiences. Her formal training is in Kinesiology with an emphasis on sport and exercise psychology and youth physical activity. Her interest in youth physical activity intersects with areas of social development, psychology, education, positive youth development, and health. Dr. Ullrich-French’s research focuses on social contextual and motivational processes in physical, social, and psychological development. One strand of her research involves examining physical activity motivational processes and behavioral outcomes in youth and adults. A second strand of her research involves examining how physical contexts and interventions impact psychosocial, behavioral, and health outcomes. Dr. Ullrich-French’s current research activities focus on the measurement and application of movement-based mindfulness as a potential mechanism to foster sustained engagement in physical activities.

Select publications

Ullrich-French, S., Cox, A., McMahon, A., & Thompson, S. (2024). Affective and motivational experiences of mindful and distracted walking experiences at moderately high intensity. Mindfulness, 15, 1987-2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-024-02417-3

Dluzniewski, A., Casanova, M. P., Ullrich-French, S., Brush, C. J., Larkins, L. W., Baker, R. T. (2024). Psychological readiness for injury recovery: Evaluating psychometric properties of the IPPRS and assessing group differences in injured physically active individuals. British Medical Journal Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 10:e001869. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001869

Khatri, R.A., Baumgartner, N.W., Noh, K., Ullrich-French, S., Schmitt, S., Wang, C., Kao, S.C. (2024). Mindfulness induction and executive function after high-intensity interval training with and without mindful recovery intervals. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sms.14558

Liu, J., Ullrich-French, S., Qui, Y., & Mao, Z.X. (2023). An exploratory study: Profiles of trait mindfulness and associations with intrinsic motivation and affective exercise experiences. Mindfulness, 14, 2975-2987. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02255-9 

Ullrich-French, S., Cox, A., & Huong, C. (2022). The State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity 2: Expanding the assessment of monitoring and acceptance. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 26 (2), 116-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/1091367X.2021.1952207 

Cox, A.E., & Ullrich-French, S. (2021) Mindfulness in Physical Activity. In, Z. Zenko and L. Jones (Eds) Exercise and Sport Psychology: Open Educational Resource Repository (pp. 316-337). https://doi.org/10.51224/B1000   

 Ullrich-French, S., & Cox, A.E. (2020). Mindfulness and Exercise. In, D. Hackfort & R.J. Schinke (Eds) Routledge International Encyclopedia of Sport and Exercise Psychology Volume 2: Applied Concepts. Routledge: London https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315187228

Cox, A.E., Ullrich-French, S., Hargreaves, E., & McMahon, A. (2020). The effects of mindfulness and music on affective responses to self-paced treadmill walking. Sport, Exercise, & Performance, Psychology, 9, 571-584.  https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000192

Ullrich-French, S., & Cox, A.E. (2020). Latent profiles highlight the multi-dimensional complexity of self-compassion. Mindfulness, 11, 1483-1499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01365-y 

Ullrich-French, S., & Cole, A. (2018). Exploring participant characteristics to assess changes in psychosocial outcomes for a physical activity-based positive youth development program. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16, 535-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197x.2016.1275740

Ullrich-French, S., González Hernández, J., & Hildago Montesinos, M.D. (2017). Validity Evidence for the Adaptation of the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (SMS-PA) in Spanish Youth. Psicothema, 29, 119-125. doi: 10.7334/psicothema2016.204

Ullrich-French, S., Cox, A.E., Cole, A.N., Cooper, B.R., & Gotch, C. (2017). Initial Validity Evidence for the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity with Youth. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 21, 177-189. doi: 10.1080/1091367X.2017.1321543

Riciputi, S., McDonough, M.H., & Ullrich-French, S. (2017). Participant perceptions of character concepts in a physical activity-based positive youth development program. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 38, 481-492. doi: 10.1123/jsep.2016-0061. PMID: 27736280

Ullrich-French, S., Cole, A., & Montgomery, A. (2016). Evaluation development for a physical activity positive youth development program for girls. Evaluation and Program Planning, 55, 67-76. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2015.12.002

Educational background

• Ph.D., Kinesiology (Sport and Exercise Psychology), Purdue University (2006)
• M.S., Kinesiology (Sport and Exercise Psychology), Purdue University (2002)
• B.A., Sociology, Seattle University (1997)

Psychology of Physical Activity Lab

https://labs.wsu.edu/psychpa