Behavioral and functional connectivity basis for peer-influenced bystander participation in bullying.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that the reactions of bystanders who witness bullying significantly affect whether the bullying persists. However, the underlying behavioral and neural mechanisms that determine a peer-influenced bystander's participation in bullying remain largely unknown. Here, we designed a new 'catch-ball' task where four players choose to throw a sequence of normal or strong (aggressive) balls in turn and examined whether the players (n = 43) participated in other players' bullying. We analyzed behaviors with a computational model that quantifies the tendencies of a participant's (i) baseline propensity for bullying, (ii) reactive revenge, (iii) conformity to bullying, and (iv) capitulation to threat and estimated these effects on the choice of balls. We found only conformity

SUBMITTER: Takami K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6348439 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature