Tiffiany Howard (Political Science), Brach Poston (Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences), and April Lopez (University of Texas, Austin) recently published the paper, "Extremist Radicalization in the Virtual Era: Analyzing the Neurocognitive Process of Online Radicalization." Their article appears in the latest issue of the journal, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. Their study examines the neurocognitive process of radicalization, specifically as it occurs within virtual online space, and how message content and production features have the potential to arouse empathy and generate radical-persuasive outcomes among the target audience. The findings of their research demonstrate how emotions, specifically that of empathy, can be stimulated in order to facilitate the process of radicalization, thus increasing the potential for violent radical political behavior.
