Weiss Research Lab

Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice 

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Education

PhD, Clinical Psychology, Fordham University

MA, Clinical Psychology, Fordham University

BA, Psychology & International Studies, Northwestern University

 

Bio

 

Dr. Rebecca Weiss is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Assessment at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of New York. She received her BA in Psychology and International Studies from Northwestern University. Then, received her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University. Before joining the faculty at John Jay, she completed her clinical training at Yale University School of Medicine. 

At the doctoral level she teaches Cognitive Assessment and Personality Assessment.  At the undergraduate level she teaches a range of classes including Psychology & Law, Learning & Memory, and Abnormal Psychology. Dr. Weiss is a mentor in the Ronald E. McNair Program and the John Jay Honors Program. She received the Kwando Kinshasa Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2016. She includes students of all levels in her lab, allowing for advanced students to provide additional supervision for less advanced students. This provides valuable experience for the advanced students, and broadens their research productivity, while proving valuable assistance for the less advanced students.

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Her current research projects include evaluating the effect of culture and language on measures of feigning in bilingual and monolingual Spanish-speaking samples, and examning the triggers for and quality of competency to stand trial evaluations (further descriptions on 'current projects' tab). Under her mentorship, her students are conducting several studies on a variety of topics, including the cultural specificity of PTSD in an African sample, the effect of instruction types on simulation designs, the effect of demographic characteristics on competency referrals, and the impact of culturally based gender identity on the development of depression.

 

Research Interest

 

Factors relating to competency to stand trial evaluations; the effect of group membership on validity in psychological assessment; the impact of culture on diagnosis; the impact of trauma on treatment and the development of aggression and substance use disorders