How Intergroup-related and Social-cognitive Factors Shape Bystanders' Responses to Bias-based Bullying and Exclusion Across Three Countries

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Although societies espouse ideologies of diversity and inclusion, in reality, minoritized adolescents are still at high risk of experiencing bias-based bullying and exclusion due to their social group membership. Bystanders are central actors who can stop bias-based bullying when they responds prosocially (Salmivalli et al., 2011), yet many youth do not especially if the response would negate ingroup normative behaviors and negative intergroup attitudes (Rutland et al., 2015). Considering severe consequences of bias-based bullying, exploring how to promote bystander prosocial responses in intergroup contexts is critical toward ensuring equal treatment of all youth.
This symposium highlights international research that addresses how group membership of victims, social-cognitive skills, and intergroup processes shape bystander responses via hypothetical scenarios in three intergroup contexts: immigrants in England, refugees in Turkey, and youth in Palestinian-Israeli/Jewish-Israeli context.
The first paper examines children's and adolescents' judgments of intergroup and intragroup social exclusion, demonstrating that only adolescents were less likely to challenge intergroup exclusion by referencing group functioning (immigrant victim, England). The second paper shows how adolescents’ social-cognitive skills and intergroup attitudes predict challenging behavior (refugee victim, Turkey). The next paper examines how adolescents' empathy mediates the relationship between group membership and prosocial behavior in cyberbullying (immigrant victim, England). Through intervention assessment, the final paper demonstrates that social-cognitive skills and contact-based intervention promote prosocial and reduce negative bystander responses to bias-based exclusion by peers or parents (Palestinian-Israeli/Jewish-Israeli context).
Together, our symposium offers an important perspective for understanding, and ultimately intervening, in bystander responses to bias-based bullying and exclusion.

Sub Unit

• Solicited Content: Anti-Bias Research or Interventions

Chairs

• Kelly Lynn S Mulvey, North Carolina State University

• Secil Gonultas, North Carolina State University

Individual Presentations

• Children's and Adolescents' Expectations of Bystander Reactions to Social Exclusion in Intergroup and Intragroup Contexts - Presenting Author: Ayşe Şule Yüksel, University of Exeter; Non-Presenting Author: Sally Barbara Palmer, University Of Exeter; Non-Presenting Author: Adam Rutland, University Of Exeter

• Predictors of Adolescents’ Bystander Responses to Bias-based Bullying of Syrian Refugee Youth in Turkey - Presenting Author: Secil Gonultas, North Carolina State University; Non-Presenting Author: Kelly Lynn S Mulvey, North Carolina State University

• Teens who intervene:Empathy and Self-efficacy as Predictors of Cyber-bystander Intervention in Intragroup and Intergroup Cyberbullying - Presenting Author: Nicola Abbott, UCL Institute of Education

• Anti-racist Actions: Using Skills- and Contact-based Interventions to Increase Palestinian-/Jewish-Israeli Intergroup Prosocial Bystander Responses - Presenting Author: Alaina Brenick, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Maisha Seraj, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Rui Wu, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Malak Zureiqi, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Rony Berger