Empathy and Inter-Group Conflict

Empathy

We examine the neurobiological basis of human empathy in children, adolescence, and adults. We measure empathic behaviors during lab-based paradigms and during social interactions and assess the brain basis of empathy in children, adolescents, and adults using fMRI, MEG, and hyperscanning EEG.

Inter-group conflict and Tools of Dialogue^© 

For over two decades, we examined developmental and neuroscience aspects of inter-group conflict in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing both on young families and youth development.  

We developed the Tools of Dialogue^© – an eight-week group intervention for youth growing up within racial, social, or national conflict. We implemented the intervention to Israeli and Palestinian 16-18 year olds within an RCT. The Tools of Dialogue^© intervention improved youths’ attitudes, social behavior toward outgroup, oxytocin and cortisol production, autonomic fear response, and the neural basis of empathy and prejudice.