Justin Barber

Clinical Research Manager, University of Kentucky

I work in clinical research studying cognitive aging by day, but by night and by weekend, my research energy is focused on the sport of competitive dunking. In 2014-ish, my scientific study of dunking started with a curiosity about which factors influence judging and scoring of dunk contests. The research has since evolved to examinations of more objective, reliable, and valid judging and scoring procedures. Currently, I serve on the inaugural Technical Committee of the World Dunk Association. We developed and maintain a comprehensive and flexible scoring system, guided by the ongoing research, with the goal of fairly determining winners and rankings in competitive dunking.

Experience

2015–present

Assistant researcher, University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging
2020–present

Technical committee, World Dunk Association

Education

2015

Morehead State University, Master's of Science, Clinical Psychology

Publications

2021

Future cognitive decline is associated with sexual satisfaction among married older adults., Clinical Gerontologist
2020

Comparison of behaviors characteristic of autism spectrum disorder and behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia., Aging and Mental Health
2019

Factors influencing scoring in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Journal of Sports Analytics
2018

Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trial Recruitment: Does Participation in a Brief Cognitive Screen at a Community Health Fair Promote Research Engagement?, Alzheimer's Disease & Associated Disorders
2014

Beliefs in the purpose of events: Cross-cultural evidence of core knowledge confusions, Applied Cognitive Psychology