Exploring the Mind | Do the Roots of Psychopathy Lie in Early Childhood?| Ann Arbor District Library

The cold and calculating psychopath captures our imagination in movies and books, but what do we know about psychopathy and its development? In this talk, Luke W. Hyde briefly describes what we know about psychopathy in adults and examine an early risk factor for psychopathy in children and teens. The lecture includes a description of recent findings which aid our understanding of the development of psychopathic traits via “nature” and “nurture", and presents research identifying potentially malleable and preventable risk factors for this dangerous outcome.

Luke W. Hyde, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Clinical and Developmental areas of the Department of Psychology. He received BA from Williams College and PhD in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. He research focuses on the development of antisocial behavior (e.g., aggression, rule breaking) in youth and the impacts of adversity on youth and families. Much of this research has focused on how experiences like parenting and living in a dangerous neighborhood impact children’s brain and behavior leading to psychopathology.

Dr. Hyde’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Brain and Behavior Foundation, and the Avielle Foundation. This research has been recognized by early career awards from the Society for Research in Psychopathology, the Association for Psychological Science, and Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.