Effects of victimization and perpetration in observing bullying scenes: an eye-tracker study

• Laura Menabò ^[1] ; Simona C.S. Caravita ^[2] ; Grace Skrzypiec ^[3] ; Phillip Slee ^[3] ; Annalisa Guarini ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Bologna

     University of Bologna

     Bolonia, Italia

     
  2. [2] University of Stavanger

     University of Stavanger

     Noruega

     
  3. [3] Flinders University

     Flinders University

     Australia

     

  Mostrar afiliaciones +
• Localización: International journal of clinical and health psychology, ISSN 1697-2600, Vol. 24, Nº. 2, 2024, págs. 61-70
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • Introduction Previous research showed that bullying experiences are associated with different ways of interpreting and behaving in bullying dynamics. However, it remains uncertain whether these distinctions can already be present during the first step of information processing: the allocation of attention.

    Aims The study explored attentional patterns of Italian students with different bullying experiences in daily life while observing different roles represented through bullying vignettes.

    Methods Participants (72 students, Mage= 11.18) were categorized as victims, bully-victims, or not involved based on their scores on a self-report questionnaire. They observed 9 bullying vignettes on which different portraits were presented (bully, victim, pro-bully, defender, bystander) while the eye-tracker registered attentional indexes (fixation, visit and duration).

    Results Kruskal- Wallis and pairwise comparisons revealed a significant effect for the portraits of the bully and the pro-bully as bully-victims exhibited greater fixations and visits than victims, while students not involved showed no significant differences with the other groups.

    Conclusion Our research reveals that bully-victims focused more on threatening cues while victims diverged their gaze from them, confirming that the experience of bullying influences how they explore aggressive situations. Learning how involved students direct their attention helps us understand different responses, leading to powerful interventions.