Psychology

Dr. Jason Finley

Assistant Professor

(professional web site) (e-mail)

Education: Ph.D., 2012
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Specialization:
Cognitive Psychology

Phone:
(618) 650-3637

Office:
AH-0130

About Dr. Finley

Jason R. Finley is a cognitive psychologist and sentient assemblage of matter residing on planet Earth. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 2012, completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, and taught for five years at Fontbonne University before joining SIUE.

Dr. Finley's research interests include memory, metacognition, and the interplay of technology and the human mind. Of the qualities that characterize human beings, there are two that most interest him: (1) our ability to reflect on and direct our own thinking (metacognition), and (2) our ability to enhance ourselves through tools and use of the environment (offloading). His approach to research combines creativity and rigor, using a variety of methods (e.g., wearable cameras, archival records, laboratory experiments, online surveys, handheld counters). He has presented his work at the annual meetings of the Psychonomic Society, the American Psychological Association (APA), the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC), the Cognitive Science Society, and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). 

Dr. Finley has enjoyed teaching a variety of classes, including: introduction to psychology, cognitive psychology, research methods, statistics, senior research seminar (capstone), careers in psychology, controversial issues in psychology, and "Memory and the Human Experience" (an interdisciplinary class developed with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities). He is a recipient of the Joan Goostree Stevens Excellence in Teaching Award from Fontbonne University. His teaching aims to spark a sense of wonder in students, and equip them with the skills to think better and become better people.

Dr. Finley is a proud LGBTQ+ ally. A native of southern California (alumnus of UCLA), he enjoys birdwatching and video games.

Mentoring Statement

Dr. Finley is available to mentor students interested in human learning and memory, cognition, metacognition, and technology.

Representative Publications

• Finley, J. R., Naaz, F., & Goh, F. W. (2018). Memory and technology: How we use information in the brain and the world. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-99169-6
• Finley, J. R., Roediger, H. L., Hughes, A. D., Wahlheim, C. N., & Jacoby, L. L. (2015). Simultaneous versus sequential presentation in testing recognition memory for faces. American Journal of Psychology, 128(2), 173-195.
• Finley, J. R., Benjamin, A. S., & McCarley, J. S. (2014). Metacognition of multi-tasking: How well do we predict the costs of divided attention? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 20(2), 158-165.
• Finley, J. R., & Benjamin, A., S. (2012). Adaptive changes in encoding strategy with experience: Evidence from the test expectancy paradigm. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 38(3), 632-652.
• Finley, J. R., Brewer, W. F., & Benjamin, A. S. (2011).  The effects of end-of-day picture review and a sensor-based picture capture procedure on autobiographical memory using SenseCam. Memory, 19(7), 796-807.
• Finley, J. R., Benjamin, A. S., Hays, M. J., Bjork, R. A., & Kornell, N. (2011). Benefits of accumulating versus diminishing cues in recall. Journal of Memory and Language, 64, 289-298.