Being Bullied in Virtual Environments: Experiences and Reactions of Male and Female Students to a Male or Female Oppressor

Abstract

Bullying is a pressing societal problem. As such, it is important to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in bullying and of resilience factors which might protect victims. Moreover, it is necessary to provide tools that can train potential victims to strengthen their resilience. To facilitate both of these goals, the current study tests a recently developed virtual environment that puts participants in the role of a victim who is being oppressed by a superior. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment (N = 81), we measured the effects of gender of the oppressor and gender of the participant on psychophysiological reactions, subjective experiences and willingness to report the event. The results reveal that even when a male and a female bully show the exact same behavior, the male bully is perceived as more threatening. In terms of gender of the victim, the only difference that emerged was a more pronounced increase in heart rate in males. The results were moderated by the personality factors social gender, neuroticism, and need to belong, while self-esteem did not show any moderating influence.

Predictors and outcomes of cyberbullying among college students: A two wave study

“…For instance, we are unable to say that high levels of CV at Time 1 caused an increase in anxiety or deviant behavior, only that there is an association. Greater confidence in causal claims would be possible with longer-term studies, quasi-experiments, or experimental designs (e.g., Krämer et al, 2018).…”

Chemical disinfection in healthcare settings: critical aspects for the development of global strategies

“…Other approaches entail use of ultraviolet light (UV-C disinfection robots), of cold atmospheric plasma, and the development of antimicrobial coatings (AMC) for frequently-touched surfaces with a large variety of materials such as silver, copper, titanium, zinc, chitosan [ 142 ], [ 143 ], [ 144 ], [ 145 ], [ 146 ]. An opinion paper initiated by the EU COST Action network (European Cooperation in Science & Technology) for antimicrobial coating innovations published in 2017 came to the conclusion that beneficial and adverse effects of AMC have not yet been fully assessed and more (proactive) research is needed with regard to (eco)toxicological risks, qualtity, efficacy and safety before the use of AMCs in healthcare settings [ 147 ].…”

Racial justice allyship requires civil courage: A behavioral prescription for moral growth and change.

“…They can be as simple and dispassionate as correcting inaccurate information being advanced against stigmatized groups (e.g., “Actually, Black people are quite generous, giving more to charity than any other group”; Ashley & James, 2018) or saying something positive about a person of color who has recently been attacked in the media (e.g., “Megan Markle had a lot of courage to open up about feeling suicidal”; Chaddah, 2021). It is important to be prepared for the backlash that will likely occur in these situations (Crane et al, 2019; Krämer et al, 2018; McKinney, 2006). It is likely that the racist users will direct their verbal venom at the participant, which can be hurtful.…”