Edmonton Journal writer Paula Simmons cited research on bullying by Debra Pepler, psychology professor in York University’s Faculty of Arts, in a column April 24 about three teenage girls charged with attempted murder for allegedly poisoning a friend. Pepler’s research shows that unlike teen boys, teen girls most often attack people they know, Simmons noted. It also suggests that higher levels of aggression are precipitated by less serious aggressive incidents. “So far, the charges and allegations in Sylvan Lake neatly fit Pepler’s profile,” Simmons wrote. “But I think there’s another, more gender-neutral factor at play here — the inability of the adolescent mind to understand consequences.”
On air
- Alan Young, professor at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, talked about medical marijuana users not being allowed to get a tax deduction for the money they spend on pot, during a talk show about contradictions in Canada’s medical marijuana laws, on CBC Radio’s “Sounds Like Canada” April 23.