Kathryn Kestner, Ph.D.

Decision Making, Relapse

Click here to access the webpage for Dr. Kestner's Lab

About

Dr. Kestner joined the faculty at WVU in the fall of 2015 as a Visiting Assistant Professor, and was hired as an Assistant Professor, effective January 1, 2018.  Dr. Kestner received her Ph.D. in psychology in 2015 from the behavior analysis program at Western Michigan University.  Her doctoral mentor was Dr. Stephanie Peterson. Dr. Kestner joined the faculty at WVU in fall of 2015.

Degrees

• 2015 Ph.D. Western Michigan University: Psychology, Behavior Analysis 
• 2011 M.A. Western Michigan University: Psychology, Behavior Analysis 
• 2008 B.A. University of the Pacific: Psychology; Minor in Business Management

Research Interests

Dr. Kestner’s research focuses on informing best-practice recommendations that support sustainable behavior change following behavioral interventions. Using a translational approach, she conducts both laboratory and applied research to understand why behavior change sometimes fails and how it can be made more durable. A central focus of her work is behavioral relapse, including resurgence and renewal, in which previously reduced behaviors return following changes in reinforcement or context. Her research identifies factors that influence when relapse occurs and evaluates strategies to prevent it, with the goal of improving long-term outcomes.

She also studies reinforcement- and choice-based interventions, with a focus on how treatment features and implementation consistency affect outcomes over time. Her applied work extends to school settings, where she examines consultation tools, classroom interventions, and behavior support plans that are feasible and sustainable. An emerging interdisciplinary line of research integrates behavioral science with physiological measures, such as salivary cortisol, to examine how interventions affect both recipients and implementers, with the goal of improving intervention durability.

Courses

• Psychology 302 – Behavior Principles
• Psychology 379 – Community Psychology
• Psychology 424 – Learning and Behavior Theory
• Psychology 609 – Ethics in Behavior Analysis 
• Psychology 790 – Teaching Practicum