When peer norms work? Coherent groups facilitate normative influences on cyber aggression

Abstract

Due to the impersonal and anonymous nature of cyberspace, past work underscored the pivotal role of social influence processes in cyberbullying among adolescents. However, there was also evidence revealing the weak influences that some referent groups yield on youth. The current study argues that the strength of normative influences on cyberbullying depends on the properties of the referent groups. In the school context, we examined whether class entitativity-the extent to which a class is a unified and coherent group, rather than a mere aggregation of studentsmoderated the relationship between class norms and cyberbullying. A total of 474 adolescent students responded to measures of descriptive and injunctive class norms about cyberbullying, perceived class entitativity, and cyberbullying. The results indicated that pro-cyberbullying descriptive and injunctive class norms were positively correlated with cyber aggression. Most importantly, higher levels of procyberbullying class norms predicted increases in cyber aggression when students perceived their classes as highly entitative. In contrast, this effect was not significant when students perceived their classes having low entitativity. These findings promote an understanding of how peer norms work and provide an alternative strategy for interventions into cyber aggression in schools.

Parent-child Communication, Social Norms, and the Development of Cyber Aggression in Early Adolescence

“…This means that perceived peer approval of aggression is generally associated with higher rates of involvement in online aggression and that the pace of growth over time is the higher for both those perceiving a higher peer tolerance of aggression. This result is in line with previous research, which agrees that peers play an important role during the teenage years and that group behavior and expectations—whether real or perceived - can influence individual conduct (e.g., Dang & Liu, 2020 ; Festl et al, 2014 ; Heirman & Walrave, 2012 ). The influence of peers can be considered problematic when they share norms that support or condone risky behaviors: although results from this study show that peers are mostly expected to disapprove acts of aggression, it is interesting to note that over time this perception changes, shifting towards a slightly greater tolerance.…”

“…Because nowadays the use of online communication technologies is more and more widespread among children and adolescents (Smahel et al, 2020 ), some researchers have started to investigate whether social norms are related also to online behavior. Results from various studies suggest that anti-aggression norms deriving from parents and peers can indeed discourage engagement in detrimental activities such as cyberbullying and cyber aggression (e.g., Dang & Liu, 2020 ; Festl et al, 2014 ; Heirman & Walrave, 2012 ; Hinduja & Patchin, 2013 ). However, while these findings show that norms of parents and peers are relevant factors to consider in preventing online aggression, it should be acknowledged that important developmental questions remain unanswered.…”

Me and Others Around: The Roles of Personal and Social Norms in Chinese Adolescent Bystanders’ Responses Toward Cyberbullying

“…The questionnaire has good internal consistency and its structural validity has been verified across six different countries (Rey et al, 2015). The scale is confirmed with high reliability among Chinese adolescents (Cronbach's α = .77∼.79, Dang & Liu, 2020). Each item was ranked by frequency, with response options ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always).…”

“…As a large portion of cyberbullying occurs among classmates (Juvonen & Gross, 2008; Li, 2007; Smith et al, 2008) and classmates are viewed as a predominant referent group for adolescent students (Festl et al, 2015; Sasson & Mesch, 2014), our hypotheses were tested in the classroom setting. Chinese adolescents aged 14–17 were chosen because the prevalence of cyberbullying in this age group is extraordinarily high (Dang & Liu, 2020; Zhou et al, 2013; Zhu et al, 2018). We predicted that pro-cyberbullying personal and social norms combined negatively predict adolescents’ intentions to help the victim while they interact to predict the intentions to reinforce the victim.…”

The Role of Parents and Peers in Cyberbullying Perpetration: Comparison among Arab and Jewish and Youth in Israel

“…Indeed, there is much evidence that social norms (both descriptive and injunctive) are positively associated with cyberbullying. For example, a recent study, examining 474 adolescent students from a public high school in a city in China, reports an association of both descriptive and injunctive class norms about cyberbullying with actual cyberbullying by adolescent members of the class (Dang & Liu, 2020 ). In the current study, we focus only on descriptive norms: beliefs about peers’ actual behavior.…”