The social, health, AND risk perception lab
Meet the team
Primary Investigator
Santa Casey
Riley Cramer
Liberty Callahan
Jennifer M. Taber, PhD
Jennifer Taber (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor at Kent State University in the Department of Psychological Sciences. She received her BA in Psychology at American University and her MS and PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Utah. Dr. Taber was a postdoctoral cancer research training award (CRTA) fellow for 2 years in the Behavioral Research Program of the National Cancer Institute. Her research lies at the intersection of social and health psychology and centers on promoting health behavior change across multiple domains. One of her major research interests is understanding when and why risk perceptions predict behavior and how to intervene to increase the likelihood that providing risk information will lead to behavior change. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, and cooking.
Contact Info:
Email: jtaber1@kent.edu
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Office: Kent Hall Annex 309
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Phone: (330) 672-3783
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Pronouns: She/her/hers
Courses Taught:
Health Psychology (41581)
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Psychology of Risk Communication (Seminar, 41495/81591)
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Social Psychology (61580/71580)
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Emotions, Culture, & Health (Florence Summer Institute)
Jeremy Foust, MA
Jeremy is a fifth year PhD student in the Psychological Sciences program at Kent State University. He is interested in studying how people understand their health risk information, including instances in which people chose not to learn their health information—health information avoidance. He is also interested in learning about different research methodologies and statistical techniques that can be leveraged to understand health information engagement. Jeremy received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Baldwin Wallace University and his Master's degree from Kent State University. In his free time, Jeremy likes to spend time with his partner, friends, and family. He also enjoys all things soccer related: watching soccer, reading about soccer, and playing soccer video games.
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Contact Info:
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Office: Kent Hall 390
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Phone: (440) 554-8045
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Pronouns: He/him/his
Courses Taught:
Quantitative Methods in Psychology II
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Research Methods
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Health Psychology
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Social Psychology
Abigail O'Brien, MA
Abigail is a fourth year PhD student in the Psychological Sciences program at Kent State University. She is interested in utilizing social psychological theory to understand how people think about their health. Particularly, Abigail is interested in defensive responses to health information and how that subsequently influences engagement in health behaviors. Abigail received her Bachelor's degree from Kent State University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her friends and family.
Contact Info:
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Office: Kent Hall 390
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Phone: (330) 410-4497
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Pronouns: She/her/hers
Courses Taught:
Research Methods in Psychology
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Health Psychology
Ivy Cheng, BSS
Ivy is a second year PhD student in the Psychological Sciences program at Kent State University. She is broadly interested in the psychosocial influences of health behaviors. Currently, Ivy is interested in the ways people engage in and act on health risk information. She is also interested in uncertainty, risk communication, and interventions to encourage people's engagement in preventive and protective health behaviors. Ivy received her Bachelor's degree from the National University of Singapore. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and playing world building games.
Courses Taught:
Research Writing in Psychology
Alexis McGhee-Dinvaut, BA
Alexis McGhee-Dinvaut is currently a 2nd year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at Kent State University. Alexis's current research interests include understanding treatment seeking behaviors in Black communities and exploring the effects of various social factors on treatment preferences. She is also interested in complementary and alternative medicine for depression in order to reduce racial health disparities. Alexis received her bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Kansas. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, photography, reading fiction, and watching movies!
Undergraduate RAs
Liberty Callahan
My name is Liberty Callahan. I am a senior here at Kent State, I'm majoring in psychology and minoring in criminology and justice studies. I plan to continue my education at Kent State in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master's program. I love hiking and spending time outdoors. I am a huge Taylor Swift fan. I enjoy card games and animal crossing.
Santa Casey
Currently I am looking into grad schools to get either my PsyD doctorate or my masters, and the long-term end goal is to be a clinical psychologist focusing in the areas of children and adolescents.
Riley Cramer
Riley is a second year student majoring in psychology with a minor in autism spectrum disorders. After graduating, she plans to attend graduate school and get her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Riley is particularly interested in how mental health and substance use addictions are impacting adults in a world of constant change. Outside the lab, she enjoys being active outdoors, baking, getting coffee with friends, and listening to worship music.
Contact Us
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Kent State University
Department of Psychological Sciences
144 Kent Hall
Kent, Ohio 44242
Lab location: Kent Hall Annex, Room 358
Dr. Jennifer Taber: jtaber1@kent.edu Phone: (330) 672-3783