Although a considerable body of research has illuminated many aspects of school bullying, the problem persists and continues to garner much public and scholarly attention. Robust research findings can inform educators and lead to the development of effective prevention and intervention programs. A relative newcomer to the bullying arsenal is cyberbullying, the use of technology to harm or harass others. This form of bullying has proliferated quite rapidly, but the sparse research to date has been limited to considering prevalence rates, gender differences, and the relation of cyberbullying to traditional bullying. Although there are many similarities between the two forms of bullying, the distinctive features of cyberbullying may lead to unique consequences of victimization. Furthermore, the unique predictors of cyberbullying have not yet been identified. At this point, there is a need to understand early influences that serve as risk or protective factors for later involvement in cyberbullying. In this research project, Drs. Bauman and Card will investigate early influences suggested by modern social cognitive theory, which situates human behavior within a dynamic process of reciprocal interaction of the person, the environment, and the behavior. From this perspective, bullying and cyberbullying can be viewed as attempts by some individuals to control their environments to increase their social status. Other components of this theory describe how children learn behavior (including by vicarious observation), how cognitive processes such as attributional biases, moral disengagement, and contextual factors influence behaviors. This study will investigate the intrapersonal and environmental factors that predict cyberbullying involvement. It will also illuminate the trajectory of cyberbullying involvement from middle childhood to middle adolescence, when such behaviors tend to peak. By studying children, parents, and teachers over a three-year period, the investigators will be able to trace changes over time in the individual, the environment, and the behaviors.
This project will develop an understanding of how cyberbullying involvement emerges and how family and school environments affect the development of this behavior. It will illuminate how children's developing social cognitions interact with other factors to increase or decrease their vulnerability to cyberbullying involvement. This work is critical to developing a comprehensive and multi-dimensional understanding of this new and potentially damaging phenomenon. The findings from this investigation will provide a sound empirical basis for the development of effective prevention and intervention programs to reduce the prevalence and harmful consequences of cyberbullying.
