This line of research focuses on the relationship between cognitive and executive functions, including language abilities, impulse control, and emotion regulation, and impulsive and aggressive behavior. Linguistic and cognitive processes such as metaphor comprehension, vocabulary, and emotional recognition in spoken language are closely associated with the ability to inhibit responses to emotional and neutral stimuli, and consequently with risk-related behaviors across different age groups. This research is also informed by theories from the neurosciences, including neuropsychological mechanisms related to hemispheric specialization in language and emotional processing.