Rebecca Waller

Developmental Psychology; Developmental Psychopathology; Clinical Psychology; Developmental Neuroscience Specific Research Areas Antisocial behavior; Callous-unemotional traits; Empathy and conscience; Parent-child interactions; Imaging gene-by-environment models of psychopathology Research Synopsis I study socioemotional development, child psychopathology, and personality development. In particular, my research examines the environmental contexts that children grow up in and that give rise to the development of antisocial behavior, including aggression, violence, theft, and problematic alcohol and substance use, as well as related constructs, such as callous-unemotional traits, fearlessness, empathy, and conscience. My research explores how the environment interacts with genetic risk (i.e., using candidate genes, twin studies, adoption designs) to influence children’s socioemotional development by shaping brain structure and function (i.e., using fMRI, DTI). My work has a strong translational goal by focusing on understanding resilience among children and families to help inform prevention and intervention strategies for reducing antisocial behavior.