October 2025 - ESD Lab Student Presents Research on Empathy and Socioeconomic Vulnerability at COES 2025 Congress

On Friday, October 24, the COES International Conference—one of the leading social research meetings in Chile and Latin America—brought together scholars focused on conflict, cohesion, and social inequality. Within this framework, the ESD Lab participated by accompanying psychology student Fiorella Macchiavelo, who presented in the panel Socioeconomic Insecurity, Emotions, and Social Bonds.

Her presentation, Impact of Socioeconomic Vulnerability on Empathy: Differentiating Neural Capacity, Motivation, and Social Cognition, explored how vulnerability shapes various components of empathy, offering valuable evidence for understanding the psychological and social mechanisms underlying inequality. Martín Laferte and Sofía Silva, second-year psychology students and members of the Viña del Mar team, also attended—marking their first experience at an international academic conference.

For more information about the conference, visit here