EXPERT ADVISORY: 18 November 2022 – R0128

Brock University is home to one of Canada’s largest teams of child and youth bullying experts.

This summer saw the formation of Brock Research on Aggression and Victimization Experiences (BRAVE), a team of professors and graduate and undergraduate students researching aggression in order to prevent it and help its victims.

With Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week taking place in Ontario from Nov. 21 to 25, the following members of BRAVE are available to speak to their respective research areas and general aspects of bullying:

Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk is a multidisciplinary scholar who studies parenting, bullying and personality. He uses evolutionary, historical and anthropological evidence to better understand the reasons why antisocial and bullying behaviour persists. While his work mostly focuses on children and adolescents, he also studies adult antisociality, such as psychopathy, and the intersections between the two.

Associate Professor of Psychology Drew Dane is a clinically-trained scholar interested in understanding why adolescents choose antisocial behaviour and bullying over prosocial behaviour and co-operation. He studies adolescent behaviour in both traditional and online settings, including cyberbullying. He is interested in informing clinical interventions that promote co-operation and reduce bullying.

Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies Naomi Andrews is a social and developmental psychologist interested in how adolescents create and navigate social relationships. She is an expert on social network analysis that not only studies individual adolescents but also their combined network of social interactions, including who is friends with who, and who bullies who. Andrews is also interested in understanding gender identity and has done work evaluating interventions for mothers and children experiencing interpersonal violence.

Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies Ann Farrell is a developmental psychologist interested in understanding the interactions between individuals and their environments. She uses sophisticated quantitative methods to understand how individuals interact with different levels of environmental factors such as family, schools, neighbourhoods and broader culture to help promote or hinder prosocial development versus bullying behaviour.

Brock University Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk, Associate Professor of Psychology Drew Dane, Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies Naomi Andrews, and Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies Ann Farrell are available for media interviews on bullying throughout Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, Nov. 21 to 25.

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

* Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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