Research

Kaya Peerdeman’s research focuses on the role of expectancies in the experience of physical symptoms. Her work is predominantly grounded in research on the mechanisms of placebo effects. She studies the psychophysiological effects of different expectancies and expectancy interventions (verbal suggestion, mental imagery, and conditioning) on the experience of physical sensations (e.g., pain, itch, and fatigue) in both healthy and patient samples. Additionally, she is interested in the role of individual differences in expectancy effects, e.g., differences in optimism, imagery ability, attitude towards medication, and previous experiences with symptoms and treatments.

Education

• Dutch-Flemish postgraduate school for research and education Experimental Psychopathology (EPP)
• Research Master Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2011)
• Master Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2011)

Memberships

• Association for Researchers in Psychology and Health (ARPH)
• Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC)
• International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
• Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS) (organizing committee 1^st official SIPS conference on placebo studies, 2017)

Media

• Verwachtingen en pijnbestrijding (Expectations and pain relief). Sleutelstad Science 071, 8 June 2016.
• Placebo-effect moet plek krijgen in behandeling (Placebo effect should have a place in treatment). NPO Radio 1 Nieuws en Co, 1 June 2016.

Awards

• Best academic paper 2015-2016, Dutch Flemish Postgraduate School For Research and Education in Experimental Psychopathology (EPP). Awarded for Peerdeman et al. (2017) European Journal of Pain.
• Best article 2015 of the unit Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University. Awarded for Peerdeman et al. (2015) PLoS ONE.

Publications