My lab team focuses on the advancement and application of social psychology theory within health and medical contexts. This research typically concerns (1) how beliefs/expectations shape the outcome of medical treatments and interventions, (2) the psychological factors involved in drug side effects (such as expectations), (3) the causes and consequences of optimistic or pessimistic evaluations of future events, and (4) the role of affect/emotions in the initiation and maintenance of healthy behavior.

Kelly received her M.A. in Counseling from Oakland University and her B.S. in Education from Central Michigan University. Kelly’s primary research focuses on how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can alter treatment perceptions and decision-making. She is particularly interested in the placebo and nocebo effects, and how these effects can be harnessed to improve healthcare experiences and outcomes. Her work is influenced by complementary and alternative medicine, which owes much of its success to the placebo effect. She aims to empower patients to make informed decisions about their treatments while taking advantage of the integration of psychological and physiological processes.

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Introduce your team! Click here to add images, text and links, or connect data from your collection.

Introduce your team! Click here to add images, text and links, or connect data from your collection.