Undergraduate Research Assistant Rebecca Flynn was awarded FIRST PLACE at the 2019 MSU University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). Rebecca designed an independent research project in collaboration with the Ingham County 30th Circuit Court Family Division. Her research evaluated the extent to which a prosocial skills training program could increase empathy among juveniles adjudicated of a sexual offenders. She found that, even among youthful offenders with a history of trauma themselves, empathy increased as youth spent more time in the program, with the biggest increase in empathy seen for those youth who completed the program successfully. The results suggest that interventions on empathy can be effective among juveniles adjudicated of a sexual offense, even when they have experienced significant trauma. Rebecca and doctoral student mentor Erica Dalzell worked hard on this project, which they expect to submit as a manuscript for publication.
