Skip to main content

David Berry

Research Interests:
Detection of invalid approaches to testing
Research

*Dr. Berry is no longer accepting graduate students. 

My primary research area is in detection of invalid approaches to psychological and neuropsychological testing, such as malingering and faking good.  One line of research is aimed at identifying feigned cognitive and neuropsychological deficits.  A second series of studies examines detection of false reports of psychiatric and somatic symptoms on the MMPI-2.  A third line focuses on denial of problems in employment evaluations. Overall, these research interests are very relevant to forensic issues.  I am also generally interested in the brain and the manner in which it influences and interacts with behavior.  

Clinically, I am primarily interested in neuropsychological assessment of brain-injured individuals. There are a number of excellent settings for training in clinical neuropsychology available at UK, including a tertiary care medical center, a VA hospital, a state psychiatric hospital, a private psychiatric facility, a geriatric evaluation center, a rehabilitation hospital and the department Psychological Services Center.

Graduate Training

Ph.D. Univ. of Florida, 1985

Berry Lab

Get to know the current members of the Berry lab!

Natasha Garcia, M.S.
6th year
Undergraduate institution: University of South Florida
I am interested in cognitive change and psychological well-being in aging populations and individuals with with neurodegenerative disease. Additionally, I have an interest in helping those with chronic illness, neurodegenerative disease, and caregivers cope with distress. My recent research focuses on purpose in life and quality of life in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and their caregivers.
 
Brittany Walls, M.S.
5th year
Undergraduate institution: Duke University
I have four major areas of interest and experience: traumatic brain injury, malingering, test validation, and neuroimaging in movement disorders. My current research focuses on the integration of neuropsychological, psychological, and dopaminergic neuroimaging measures to investigate cognitive and affective functioning in Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes.
 
 
Chelsea Bosch, M.S., C.S.P.
4th year
Undergraduate/Master’s institution: Missouri State University
While at Missouri State, I completed my thesis examining the convergent validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale – Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) and the WMS-IV Flexible Approach. During my time at UK, I have worked on multiple research projects, including a book chapter on malingered neurocognitive deficits in mild traumatic brain injury and a meta-analytic book chapter examining the diagnostic accuracy of embedded neuropsychological measures in the detection of malingering. I have also contributed to a meta-analysis comparing malingering detection methods for ADHD. Presently, my clinical and research interests are related to the neuropsychological evaluation of individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries and those diagnosed with seizure disorders. My current research projects include a meta-analysis examining the utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in discriminating between psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and epilepsy, as well as completing assessments for a clinical trial determining the efficacy of hyperoxia treatment for severe traumatic brain injury.​
 
Elizabeth (Liz) Wallace, M.S.
4th year
Undergraduate institution: Birmingham-Southern College
Last year, I completed my thesis providing further validation of a feigning indicator on a self-report measure of ADHD symptoms. I also led a lab research project examining the efficacy of various feigning detection methods for ADHD. My current research and clinical interests include cognitive changes pre- and post-DBS surgery for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
 
Kullen Balthrop, M.S.
3rd year
Undergraduate institution: Murray State University
MSc from University of Edinburgh
While at the University of Edinburgh, I completed my thesis on children's ability to accurately process fair and rigged feedback. Currently, I'm examining the ability of the MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF to detect faking good in non-student populations. I'm looking forward to helping out with other research projects this year while honing my own research interests. 
 
 
 
Past members of the Berry lab include:
 

Hannah Combs, PhD: The most recent student to complete her graduate training in Dr. Berry’s lab, Hannah completed her neuropsychology internship at the DeBakey VA Medical Center in 2017. She is currently a clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellow at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Lisa Koehl, PhD: Lisa completed her neuropsychology internship at the VA Medical Center in St. Louis. She completed a clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute. She is currently a clinical neuropsychologist at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Kentucky.

Jordan Harp, PhD: Jordan completed his internship through the University of Kentucky Internship Consortium Program. He then comppleted a neuropsychology and mental health postdoctoral fellowship at the Lexington VA Medical Center. He is currently a neuropsychology postdoctoral fellow at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute. 

Maryanne Edmundson, PhD: Maryanne completed her neuropsychology residency at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

Lindsey Jasinski, PhD: Lindsey completed her residency at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington. She is currently the Director of Psychology Services at Eastern State Hospital in Lexington, where she also supervises graduate students in practicum placements at that location. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the UK Health Care system.

Myriam Sollman, PhD: Myriam completed her neuropsychology internship at the University of Florida. She then completed her neuropsychology fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute. Currently, she works as an Assistant Professor of Neuropsychology at Wake Forest University. She is a practicing neuropsychologist at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. She also acts as director of the neuropsychology clinic and psychology internship at Wake Forest Baptist Health.

Anni Shandera, PhD: Anni completed the following dissertation research in 2012: Effects of Mild TBI and PTSD in OIF/OEF Veterans: Support for the “Additive” Hypothesis? After her time at UK, she completed her neuropsychology internship at Emory University School of Medicine. She then completed her neuropsychology fellowship at Wisconsin’s Mayo Clinic. She currently works as a neuropsychologist at Wisconsin’s Mayo Clinic.

Jessica Clark, PhD: Jessica completed the following dissertation research in 2010: Neuropsychological Correlates and Underlying Cortical Mechanisms of Working Memory in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. She completed her neuropsychology internship at the VA Maryland Health Care System/University of Maryland School of Medicine Psychology Internship Consortium in Baltimore, Maryland. She then completed her neuropsychology fellowship at the MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C. Her current clinical work includes assessments and psychotherapy at MedStar Health in D.C.

Victoria Vagnini, PhD: Victoria completed the following dissertation research in 2007: Applying Reaction Time and Event-Related Potential Measures to Detect Malingered Neurocognitive Deficit. She is currently working as a clinical psychologist in the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

Chantel Dearth, PhD: Chantel completed the following dissertation research in 2006: Cross-Validation of Malingering Tests for Adolescent Forensic Evaluations.

 

Selected Publications:

Shandera, A.L., Berry, D.T.R., Clark, J.A., Schipper, L.J., Graue, L.O., Harp, J.P. (2010). Detection of malingered mental retardation. Psychological Assessment, 22, 50-56.

Alwes, Y.R., Clark, J.A., Berry, D.T.R., Granacher, R.P. (2008). Screening for feigning in a civil forensic setting. The Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 30, 1-8.

Graue, L.O., Berry, D.T.R., Clark, J.A., Sollman, M.J., Cardi, M., Hopkins, J., Werline, D. (2007). Identification of feigned mental retardation using the new generation of malingering detection instruments: Preliminary findings. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 21, 921-942.