Specifically, Lasko has been investigating brain scans of people with psychopathic traits and finding that those traits may be related to gray matter density in regions of the brain involved in emotion processing and behavioral control. Psychopaths are commonly understood to lack empathy, Chester said, but they frequently also have other traits, such as charisma and the ability to get what they want. They also have these abilities to manipulate others.
Another doctoral student, Alexandra Martelli, is exploring intimate partner aggression and is currently running a study in which she observes the brain activity of couples who are actively acting aggressively toward one another. Previous studies have looked at the consequences of intimate partner aggression and how that affects the brain. What is the brain doing to create that, as opposed to just being aggressive? Doctoral student Sam West is looking at provoked and unprovoked aggression in an inter-temporal context — meaning, people sometimes want to hurt someone immediately, whereas other times they might choose to wait a while in order to exact a greater revenge.
West, who has conducted research on social rejection, aggressive behavior, disgust, and dehumanization, is developing a new research paradigm for examining aggressive behavior as a reward in the context of delayed gratification and socio-economic status. He is adapting an experiment used in addiction research, in which people who are, say, cocaine dependent are offered an immediate bump of cocaine, or a greater amount if they wait a certain amount of time.
In order to reduce violence, Chester says, we must first gain a deeper understanding of why people are violent. Subscribe to VCU News at newsletter. Biology student Kameron Jones seeks to connect with fellow Indigenous students and serve Native American communities. Disability studies certificate helps students critique social models through lectures, readings, guest speakers and research.
Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer. Virginia Commonwealth University. Give to VCU. A new VCU lab aims to find out The Social Psychology and Neuroscience Lab in the College of Humanities and Sciences is studying psychopaths, revenge, domestic violence, and whether violence can be treated like an addiction. Aggression and romance Another doctoral student, Alexandra Martelli, is exploring intimate partner aggression and is currently running a study in which she observes the brain activity of couples who are actively acting aggressively toward one another.
Here are 13 reasons why:. Find out how you can demand change to ENDviolence in schools. It has been six months since you came into this world like a whirlwind, turning your dad and me into confused-but-never-been-happier parents. Around million students between the ages of 13 and 15 have reported experiencing peer-to-peer violence in and around school. Nearly million school-age children live in countries where they are not fully protected by law from corporal punishment in schools.
These children are unprotected from physical punishment by teachers and other authority figures. Based on available data, bullying is one of the most common types of violence reported in schools. Children who are already marginalized are especially vulnerable to bullying.
In 39 countries in Europe and North America, 17 million young adolescents admitted to bullying peers at school. One in three students aged 13—15 is involved in physical fights in schools. Physical attacks by fellow students are most common among boys, while girls are more likely to become victims of psychological or relational forms of bullying. There have been at least 70 fatal school shootings over the past 27 years.
Cyberbullying allows perpetrators to remain anonymous, but has tangible repercussions. Victims of cyberbullying are more likely than other students to use alcohol and drugs, skip school, get poor grades and have low self-esteem and health problems. An estimated million children aged 6—17 live in conflict-affected areas where classrooms are often no safer than communities.
Children going to school in conflict zones are forced to risk their lives to get an education.
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