Sarah Janes
PhD Research Student
Background
I recently completed my PhD thesis in Clinical Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, funded by the Principal's Career Development and the Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships. My thesis research focused on assessing cognitive risk factors for violence and their ability to add incremental validity to violence risk assessments.
I have extensive experience in administering, scoring, and interpreting psychological and neuropsychological measures with adults with serious mental illness, children with complex learning difficulties, healthy volunteers, as well as justice-involved adults, and adults in forensic mental health settings. My research interests lie in neurocognition of forensic populations and how it relates to violence risk and functional outcomes, and more generally, in the neuropsychology of mental illnesses, learning difficulties, and certain behaviours.
Qualifications
- BS, Psychology, East Stroudsburgh University, Pennsylvania, USA
- MSc, Clinical Psychology, College of St. Joseph, Vermont, USA
- MSc, Human Cognitive Neuropsychology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Responsibilities & affiliations
I am a member of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services (2016- present), and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2018-current).
Research summary
My wider research interests include the neuropsychological characteristics of violent offenders and forensic populations, the neuropsychological correlates of psychiatric diagnoses and the developmental risk factors for major mental health problems as well as offending behaviours. I am also interested in policy change, advocating for underrepresented populations, prison reform, statistical programming and analysis, and the use of psychedelics to improve treatment resistant mental illnesses.
Current research interests
Neuropsychology, cognitive impairments, cognitive neuroscience, psychometrics, forensic mental health, risk factors for violence, offender rehabilitation, prison reform, psychedelic science, data science, and statistical programming.Papers delivered
- Janes, S. (2020, November). Cognitive contributors to the variance in behaviours associated with imminent situational aggression: A pilot case-series. Paper presented at the FNSIG Annual Conference (presented online).
- Janes, S. (2019, November). Neuropsychological characteristics of forensic inpatients in Scotland. Paper presented at the FNSIG Annual Conference in Polmont, Scotland.
- Janes, S. (2018, November). Cognitive contributors to the risk of harm to others: Preliminary outcomes for a high secure population. Paper presented at the FNSIG Annual Conference in Polmont, Scotland.
- Janes, S. (2018, June). Neuropsychological differences between violent and non-violent offenders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Poster presented at the BPS DFP Annual Conference in Newcastle, United Kingdom.
- Janes, S. (2018, June). Neuropsychological differences between violent and non-violent offenders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Poster presented at the IAFMHS Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
- Janes, S. (2018, June). The problem with 'violence': The implications of a failure to converge on a single definition. Paper presented at the IAFMHS Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
- Janes, S. (2017, November). Neuropsychological differences between violent and non-violent offenders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Paper presented at the FNSIG Annual Conference in Polmont, Scotland.
- Janes, S. (2017, June). Cognitive contributors to violence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Paper presented at the IAFMHS Annual Conference in Split Croatia.
- Janes, S. (2017, June). Cognitive contributors to offending: A Delphi study. Poster presented at the IAFMHS Annual Conference in Split, Croatia.
- Janes, S. (2016, November). Cognitive contributors to offending: A Delphi study. Paper presented as part of a symposium at the FNSIG Annual Conference in Polmont, Scotland.