people

Curriculum Vita
Neuropsychology Lab
selected articles

Research Interests

My research is in the area of neuropsychology, with a particular focus on executive functions. Executive functions refer to a set of abilities that allow us to choose the most appropriate behaviors given different contexts, to plan ahead and follow through with our plans, and to avoid acting on impulses. In other words, it is our intact and mature executive functioning that makes it possible for us to avoid behaviors that are typical of babies and young children, such as grabbing someone else�s food when hungry, crying when frustrated, or purposelessly wondering around when looking for something we have lost.

Many neurologic populations, such as patients with certain types of dementia, stroke, or serious brain injury, can have profound impairments in executive functioning. However, other individuals, such as those characterized by certain personality disorders, survivors of mild brain injuries, or individuals in preclinical stages of dementia exhibit lapses in executive functioning that are intermittent and triggered in unpredictable ways. Such mild or intermittent executive difficulties, while potentially leading to serious errors in everyday life, are difficult to detect in the context of structured clinical or research settings.

My long-term research goal is to advance our understanding of what triggers lapses in executive functioning, as well as to advance methods for identifying individuals who are at risk for such lapses. Currently, this research has been focusing on executive abilities in the context of (a) planning immediate motor output, and (b) emotion regulation.

Clinical Interests
My clinical interests focus on neuropsychological assessment of adults who have suffered various types of brain insult. I have worked both with patients who are in the acute phases of recovery, such as patients who have just suffered a stroke or a traumatic brain injury, as well as with patients who suffer from chronic or slowly progressing conditions, such as various types of dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, or old injuries.

Although I do not specialize in pediatric neuropsychology, prospective graduate students should note that several pediatric neuropsychologists with excellent resources both on and off campus are available for supervision of work with children.

Opportunities For Students

I am looking for students who are interested in conducting research in the area of clinical neuropsychology, with the focus on understanding the construct of executive functioning. Additionally, I also welcome students whose research interests are focused on understanding executive deficits in a particular population. Recently, we have conducted research with the following populations:
- Adults and children with autism
- Community-dwelling elderly
- Elderly with mild cognitive impairment
- Sex offenders
- College students

In the past, incoming students have either developed their own projects, or participated in ongoing projects that they used as a springboard for their Master's Thesis and Dissertation. I encourage creative thinking and look forward to seeing students' own ideas take hold within the framework of my laboratory.

Education

Post-doc, Evanston Hospital (Clinical Neuropsychology, 1998-2000)
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Psychology, 1998)
M.A., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Psychology, 1995)
B.S., University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Psychology/English, 1991)

Selected Publications

Suchy, Y., Kraybill, M., & Larson, J.G.L. (2010). Understanding design fluency: Motor and executive contributions. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 16, 26-37. Download

Suchy, Y., Whittaker, W.J., Strassberg, D.S., & Eastvold, A. (2009). Neurocognitive differences between pedophilic and non-pedophilic child molesters. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 15(2), 248-257. Download

Suchy, Y., Whittaker, W.J., Strassberg, D.S., & Eastvold, A. (2009). Facial and prosodic affect recognition among pedophilic and non-pedophilic criminal child molesters. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 21, 93-110. Download

Suchy, Y., Williams, P.G, Kraybill, M. Franchow, E., & Butner, J. (2010). Instrumental activities of daily living among community dwelling older adults: Personality associations with self-report, performance, and awareness of functional difficulties. Journal of Gerontology, Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbq037. Download

Suchy, Y., Rau, H., Whittaker, W.J., Eastvold, A., & Strassberg, D.S. (2009). Facial affect recognition as a predictor of performance on a reading comprehension test among criminal sex offenders. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice, 5 (1), 73-89. Download

Kraybill, M. & Suchy, Y. (2008). Evaluating the role of motor regulation in non-verbal fluency: Partialing variance in the Ruff Figural Fluency Test. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 30 (8), 903-912. Download

Suchy, Y. (2009). Executive functioning: Overview, assessment, and research issues for non-neuropsychologists. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 37, 106-116. Download

My current graduate students

Jennifer Larson
Sommer Thorgusen
Emilie Franchow