ISU community members braved the elements Wednesday night to hear a man speak about the research he and others have done in diagnosing and preventing violent behavior in children.James Garbarino, co-director of the Family Life Development Center and professor of human development at Cornell University, based his lecture on his most recent book, “Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them.” About 75 people gathered to hear him in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.The talk was the first of the spring lectures sponsored by the College of Family Consumer Sciences’ “Strengthening Families to Become the Best” celebration.During the lecture, Garbarino said violent behavior must be examined beneath the surface.”The point is that we should not look to the easy solution but look more deeply,” he said. “Rarely, if ever does a single risk factor account for violence in a child’s life.”Instead, Garbarino said violence is brought about by an accumulation of factors, including neurological damage, an unhealthy home and family environment, lack of spirituality and exposure to racism. The mass media, video games and a “socially-poisoned world” also contribute, he said.”We have a need to have a sense that we live in a meaningful universe and have a place in that,” Garbarino said.The temperament of the individual child also plays a role in violence and aggressive behavior, he said.”Kids come to us with different packages of attributes,” Garbarino said. “Temperament is not destiny, but it sets the rules of engagement.”The disposition of boys calls for involvement in “rough-and-tumble play,” which creates a more fertile ground for them to practice and learn violence, he said.However, Garbarino said the empowerment of women in the last few decades has also contributed a rise of violent behavior in girls.To curb the violence, he said parents should show more compassion and appreciation and be more involved in their child’s life.Even with the success of programs such as D.A.R.E. and Scared Straight, a program in which criminals speak to children, Garbarino said they often lack the evidence of strong cause-and-effect relationships. A positive outcome through the programs depends on factors such as age, family environment and neighborhood, he said.”This is frustrating stuff because we want a yes or no answer, but it’s almost always, ‘it depends,'” Garbarino said.Jean Dietsch, sophomore in pre-advertising, said Garbarino’s topic was especially relevant to students because they have felt the most impact from school shootings.”He seemed to talk to the level of the audience, more so than the other lectures I’ve seen,” Dietsch said.