Wolfson Fellow

Dr Luna Centifanti, PhD, Fellow HEA

Personal web page

(email at luna.munoz@durham.ac.uk)

Research Interests

My main field of research is the development of aggression and violence. In adults, we know that the best predictor of violence is psychopathic traits, which include a callous and remorseless use of others, and a manipulative and narcissistic interpersonal style. A callous-unemotional style has been found to be highly related to violence and aggression in both boys and girls. However, as a developmental psychopathologist, I believe that callous-unemotional traits can serve to identify youths at-risk for violence and problem behaviour. For example, I’m interested in the emotional and social life of those children with callous-unemotional traits. I take a view of normal development: how do callous-unemotional traits develop? Also, how are these traits related to developmental tasks, such as learning to identify faces as showing fear, which may be important for prosocial behaviour? To this end, I have examined callous-unemotional traits and their relation to subtypes of aggression, emotional and physiological unresponsiveness, problematic peer relationships, and how parents respond to children with these traits over time (the latter earned me a prize!). Recently, I have also been investigating risk taking

My other line of research looks at personality traits and particular relationships in women that may be related to illegal behaviour, getting people to have sex with them, or getting their dating partner to stay with them.

Short Biography

Formerly, Luna C. Muñoz, I'm an American ex-pat living in Europe since 2005.  I got a Bachelor's degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook and then received my MSc from  Pennsylvania State University.  I went down to New Orleans to work with Professor Paul Frick and received my PhD in 2005.  After a two-year post-doc in Sweden (at the Center for Developmental Research – Örebro University), I worked as a Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK.  I came to Durham as a Lecturer in 2011.

Indicators of Esteem

• 2010: Neville Butler Memorial Prize: Co-winner for my longitudinal research on parenting and problem behaviour in children high and low on callous-unemotional traits.
• Chair: Membership Committee, Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy.

Research Groups

Department of Psychology

• Applied, Clinical and Health Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Social, Emotional and Evolutionary Psychology

Publications

Books: sections

• Frick, P.J. & Munoz, L.C. (2006). Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. In Child and adolescent psychopathology: Theoretical and clinical implications. Essau, C.A. Brunner-Routledge. 26-51.

Journal papers: academic

• Fanti, K. & Centifanti, L.C.M (Accepted). Childhood Callous-Unemotional Traits Moderate the Relation Between Parenting Distress and Conduct Problems Over Time. Child Psychiatry and Human Development
• Muñoz, L.C. , Kimonis, E.R. Frick, P.J. & Aucoin, K.J. (2013). Emotional reactivity and the association between psychopathy-linked narcissism and aggression in detained adolescent boys. Development and Psychopathology 25(2): 473-485.
• Meins, L., Centifanti, L.C.M. & Fernyhough, C. (2013). Maternal mind-mindedness and children’s behavioral difficulties: Mitigating the impact of low socioeconomic status. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Online ahead of publication.
• Essau, C. A., Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, X. & Muñoz, L.C. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in Cypriot children and adolescents. European Journal of Psychological Assessment 29(1): 19-27.
• Centifanti, L.C.M. & Modecki, K.L. (2013). Throwing caution to the wind: Callous-unemotional traits and risk-taking in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 42(1): 106-119.
• Muñoz, L.C. & Frick, P.J. (2012). Callous-unemotional traits and their implication for understanding and treating aggressive and violent youths. Special Issue. Criminal Justice and Behavior 39(6): 794-813.
• Howard, A. L., Kimonis, E. R. Muñoz, L. C. & Frick, P. J. (2012). Violence exposure mediates the relation between callous-unemotional traits and offending patterns in adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 40(8): 1237-1247.
• Marsee, M.A. Barry, C.T. Childs, K.K. Frick, P.J. Kimonis,E.R. Muñoz, L.C. , Aucoin, K.J. Fassnacht, G.M. Kunimatsu, M.M. & Lau, K.S. (2011). Assessing the forms and functions of aggression using self-report: Factor structure and invariance of the peer conflict scale in youths. Psychological Assessment 23: 782-804.
• Munoz, L.C. & Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, X. (2011). Disinhibited behaviors in young children: Relations with impulsivity and autonomic psychophysiology. Biological Psychology 86(3): 349-359.
• Muñoz, L.C. , Qualter, P. & Padgett, G. (2011). Empathy and bullying: Exploring the influence of callous-unemotional traits. Child Psychiatry and Human Development 42: 183-196.
• Chu, S. Farr, D. Munoz, L.C. & Lycett, J. (2011). Interpersonal trust and market value moderates the bias in women’s preferences away from attractive high-status men. Personality and Individual Differences 51: 143-147.
• Muñoz, L.C. , Pakalniskiene, V. & Frick, P.J. (2011). Parental monitoring and youth behavior problems: moderation by callous-unemotional traits over time. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 20(5): 261-269.
• Essau, C.A. Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, X. & Muñoz, L.C. (2011). Psychometric Properties of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in Cypriot Children and Adolescents. Child Psychiatry & Human Development 42: 557-568.
• Muñoz, L.C. , Khan, R. & Cordwell, L. (2011). Sexually coercive tactics used by university students: A clear role for primary psychopathy. Journal of Personality Disorders 25(1): 28-40.
• Muñoz, L.C. (2009). Callous-unemotional traits are related to combined deficits in recognizing afraid faces and body poses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 48(5): 554-562.
• Kimonis, E.R. Frick, P.J. Skeem, J.L. Marsee, M.A. Cruise, K. Munoz, L.C. , Aucoin, K.J. & Morris, A.S. (2008). Assessing callous-unemotional traits in adolescent offenders: Validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits. International journal of law and psychiatry 31(3): 241-252.
• Kimonis, E.R. Frick, P.J. Muñoz, L.C. & Aucoin, K.J. (2008). Callous-unemotional traits and the emotional processing of distress cues in detained boys: Testing the moderating role of aggression, exposure to community violence, and histories of abuse. Development and Psychopathology 20(2): 569-589.
• Muñoz, L.C. , Kerr, M. & Besic, N. (2008). The peer relationships of youths with psychopathic traits: A matter of perspective. Criminal Justice and Behavior 35: 212-227.
• Muñoz, L.C. , Frick, P.J. Kimonis, E.R. & Aucoin, K.J. (2008). Types of aggression, responsiveness to provocation and callous-unemotional traits in detained adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 36(1): 15-28.
• Muñoz, L.C. , Frick, P.J. Kimonis, E.R. & Aucoin, K.J. (2008). Verbal ability and delinquency: Testing the moderating role of psychopathic traits. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49(4): 414-421.
• Kimonis, E.R. Frick, P.J. Muñoz, L.C. & Aucoin, K.J. (2007). Can a laboratory measure of emotional processing enhance the statistical prediction of aggression and delinquency in detained adolescents with callous-unemotional traits?. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 35.
• Muñoz, L.C. & Frick, P.J. (2007). The reliability, stability, and predictive utility of the self-report version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 48: 299-312.

Journal papers: professional

• Muñoz, L.C. (2012). Positive parenting in adolescence is associated with well-(adaptive-) functioning adult offspring [Invited Commentary]. Evidence-Based Medicine 17(4): 127-128.

Grants Awarded

• 2010: Brain Guarantors Travel Grant
• 2010: The influence of the social network in adolescent and young adult risk taking: The moderating role of callous-unemotional traits, The British Academy, £7356.00
• 2009: British Academy Travel Grant