diff --git a/docs/pages/release_notes.md b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
index e454fc47a8..a6d3e00d55 100644
--- a/docs/pages/release_notes.md
+++ b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ This means, you can use CPD to find duplicated code in your Kotlin projects.
 *   java
     *   [#1460](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/1460): \[java] Intermittent PMD failure : PMD processing errors while no violations reported
 *   java-bestpractices
+    *   [#647](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/647): \[java] JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule should support `this.exception` as well as just `exception`
     *   [#1435](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/1435): \[java] JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssert: Support AssertJ soft assertions
 *   java-codestyle
     *   [#1232](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/1232): \[java] Detector for large numbers not separated by _
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule.java b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule.java
index 4cbfb154b2..f7c8e7b424 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule.java
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTMethodDeclaration;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTName;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTNormalAnnotation;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTPrimaryExpression;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTPrimaryPrefix;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTPrimarySuffix;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTReferenceType;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTStatementExpression;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.AbstractJUnitRule;
@@ -173,29 +175,25 @@ public class JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule extends AbstractJUnitRule {
 
     private boolean isExpectStatement(ASTStatementExpression expression,
             Map<String, List<NameOccurrence>> expectables) {
-        
-        if (expression != null) {
-            
-            ASTPrimaryExpression pe = expression.getFirstChildOfType(ASTPrimaryExpression.class);
-            if (pe != null) {
-                Node name = pe.getFirstDescendantOfType(ASTName.class);
-                // case of an AllocationExpression
-                if (name == null) {
-                    return false;
+        ASTPrimaryExpression pe = expression.getFirstChildOfType(ASTPrimaryExpression.class);
+        if (pe != null) {
+            ASTPrimaryPrefix primaryPrefix = pe.getFirstChildOfType(ASTPrimaryPrefix.class);
+            Node name = pe.getFirstDescendantOfType(ASTName.class);
+            if (!primaryPrefix.usesThisModifier() && name != null) {
+                String[] parts = name.getImage().split("\\.");
+                if (parts.length >= 2) {
+                    String varname = parts[0];
+                    String methodName = parts[1];
+                    if (expectables.containsKey(varname) && "expect".equals(methodName)) {
+                        return true;
+                    }
                 }
-                
-                String img = name.getImage();
-                if (img.indexOf(".") == -1) {
-                    return false;
-                }
-                String varname = img.split("\\.")[0];
-
-                if (!expectables.containsKey(varname)) {
-                    return false;
-                }
-
-                for (NameOccurrence occ : expectables.get(varname)) {
-                    if (occ.getLocation() == name && img.startsWith(varname + ".expect")) {
+            } else if (primaryPrefix.usesThisModifier()) {
+                List<ASTPrimarySuffix> primarySuffixes = pe.findChildrenOfType(ASTPrimarySuffix.class);
+                if (primarySuffixes.size() >= 2) {
+                    String varname = primarySuffixes.get(0).getImage();
+                    String methodName = primarySuffixes.get(1).getImage();
+                    if (expectables.containsKey(varname) && "expect".equals(methodName)) {
                         return true;
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/xml/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssert.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/xml/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssert.xml
index c375a11924..b59f2caf25 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/xml/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssert.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/bestpractices/xml/JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssert.xml
@@ -494,6 +494,22 @@ public class FooTest {
     void testFoo() {
         softly.assertThat("doesn't matter").isEqualTo("doesn't matter");
     }
+}]]></code>
+    </test-code>
+    <test-code>
+        <description>#647 JUnitTestsShouldIncludeAssertRule should support `this.exception` as well as just `exception`</description>
+        <expected-problems>0</expected-problems>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+import org.junit.*;
+public class DigitalAssetManagerTest {
+  @Rule
+  public final ExpectedException exception = ExpectedException.none();
+  @Test
+  public void throwsIllegalArgumentExceptionIfIconIsNull() {
+    this.exception.expect(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+    this.exception.expectMessage("Icon is null, not a file, or doesn't exist.");
+    new DigitalAssetManager(null, null);
+  }
 }]]></code>
     </test-code>
 </test-data>