John-Christopher Finley F
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Northwestern University
Expertise
Neuropsychology, forensic neuropsychology, criminal psychology, cognition and brain-behavior relationships, psychological statistics, meta-analytic psychology research
Bio
Hello! I am currently a PhD student studying forensic neuropsychology. My research investigates the neuropsychology of violent and criminal behavior. Within this realm of research, I examine the relationship between mental health, cognition, brain damage, and violent behavior. My research guides my clinical abilities to assist with forensic and clinical neuropsychological evaluations. I am passionate about using research to assist mental health treatment and assessment for justice-involved and community-based patients. Working with a team of motivated and passionate students has helped me move towards my ultimate goal of improving aspects of humanity in our justice system. In my spare time, I enjoy painting, mountaineering, surfing, skiing, and martial arts. I'm excited to work with you on a project that will allow you to enjoy science as much as I do!Project ideas
Neuropsychology of Violence
There's a strong relationship between neuropsychological functioning and violent behavior. In this project, we can elucidate the mechanisms that form this relationship and explore the cognitive, psychiatric, and social determinants of violence. For instance, we could examine the following: (1) Cognitive functioning and homicide; (2) Traumatic brain injury and aggression; (3) Psychosis and violence. If these aren't of your interest, we can start broad and narrow in an idea that relates to any topic subsumed under neuropsychology and violence.
Neuropsychology of Traumatic Brain Injury
Just how bad is a traumatic brain injury? In this project, we can examine factors that influence poor outcomes following traumatic brain injury (and concussion) and determine the extent to which they might impair someones neuropsychological functioning. For instance, we could examine the following: (1) Concussions and cognition; (2) Moderate-Severe traumatic brain injury and cognition; (3) Psychiatric outcomes following traumatic brain injury; (4) Psychiatric determinants of post-concussive syndrome.
Detecting Malingering in Psychological Evaluations
Did you know we can determine if someone is faking a cognitive disorder, such as an intellectual disability or psychosis, during a forensic evaluation? In this project, we can investigate tests used to detect whether someone is legitimately suffering from cognitive or psychiatric dysfunction. For instance, we could examine the following: (1) Detection of non-legitimate cognitive or psychiatric symptoms for secondary gain; (2) Detection of non-legitimate illnesses to escape death row; (3) Prevention of misclassifying people for exaggerating, feigning, or malingering symptoms.
Diagnosing Mental Disorders with Statistics
Did you know we rely on statistics to diagnose psychological disorders? Why might we do this? In short, it is because we cannot clearly visualize or capture a tangible mental disorder with a test like other illnesses or conditions, such as cancer or infections. Instead, we use numbers to predict the probability that someone has the latent construct we define as a "mental health disorder". In this project, we will review the various statistical and mathematical methods used to help identify the presence of a mental disorder. For instance, we could examine the following: (1) Using statistics to detect Parkinson's Disease; (2) Using statistics to detect Schizophrenia; (3) Using statistics to detect syndromes and symptoms of mental disorders; (4) Using statistics to detect brain injury severity.