On this page, you will be able to learn more about the team’s current research projects.
Deemah Alturkait
Exposure to Violence, Aggression, and Psychopathic Traits: How Protective Factors Moderate the Relationship
- This study has two main goals: the first goal is to measure how exposure to violence differs as a function of race, sex, and socioeconomic status in an adult community sample. I hypothesize that adult males with ethnic minority and low socioeconomic status will have the highest exposure to violence. The second goal is to examine the role protective factors play in moderating the relationship between exposure to violence and developing reactive aggression (RA), proactive aggression (PA), and psychopathic personality traits. First, I hypothesize that violence exposure and total reactive and proactive aggression will be positively correlated. Second, I hypothesize that protective factors will moderate the relationship between violence exposure and RA, PA, and psychopathic personality traits. Meaning, as protective factors increase, the relationship between violence exposure and RA, PA, and psychopathic personality traits will decrease, and vice versa. An online survey is being used to address these goals.
Motivation for Violence: A Qualitative Study
- The goal of this study is to more closely examine a subset of community members who engage in violence to determine their motivations for engaging in violence. To address this, I will use phone interviews to assess how people view violence and what they identify as motive for engaging in RA, PA, and violence overall. The main research question I will be answering is: What factors play a role in people engaging in violence?