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Exploring the Roles of Cognitive and Affect Empathy in Enhancing Prosocial Bystander Behavior in Simulated Cyberbullying Context

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The Post-pandemic Landscape of Education and Beyond: Innovation and Transformation (HKAECT 2022)

Part of the book series: Educational Communications and Technology Yearbook ((ECTY))

Abstract

This study investigates whether the activation of cognitive and affective empathy can enhance prosocial bystander behavior in a simulated cyberbullying context. This study hypothesizes that the activation of cognitive and affective empathy can enhance one’s prosocial bystander behavior in encountering cyberbullying. Also, the effect of the activation of empathy is assumed to be moderated by the presence of other bystanders. A 3 (activation of empathy: cognitive/affective/no activation) × 3 (the presence of other bystanders: positive bystanders/active negative bystanders/passive negative bystanders) factorial experimental design was used in this study. One-hundred fifty participants were randomly assigned to one of the nine conditions. Researchers used the Cyberbullying Questionnaire to screen and select suitable participants. Participants watched an empathy induction video (except for the control group without any activation of empathy), viewed the cyberbullying post on simulated social media, and gave their reactions and responses to the post. Results showed that there was no significant interaction effect between activation and presence of other bystanders on prosocial bystander behavior. The main effects of activation of empathy and presence of bystander on prosocial bystander behavior were significant, respectively. Participants in conditions with cognitive empathy activation had significantly higher proportion engaged in prosocial bystander behavior than those without any activation of empathy. Also, participants in conditions with the presence of positive bystanders had significantly higher proportion engaged in prosocial bystander behavior than those with passive negative bystanders. These key findings imply the importance of incorporating perspective-changing of bystanders and experience sharing of positive bystanders into cyber-bystander psychoeducational interventions that targeting youths, adolescents, and teenagers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Arts and Humanities, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong, China

    Chi-Keung Chan

  2. Positive Psychology Laboratory, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China

    Tsz-Hei Davis Leung & Ka Tung Vivianne Ip

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  1. Chi-Keung Chan
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  2. Tsz-Hei Davis Leung
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  3. Ka Tung Vivianne Ip
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Correspondence to Chi-Keung Chan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. HKAECT, Hong Kong, China

    Anna Wing Bo TSO

  2. Ming-Ai (London) Institute, London, UK

    Steven Kwan Keung NG

  3. Faculty of Arts, Centre for Applied English Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

    Locky LAW

  4. The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Tiffany Shurui BAI

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Chan, CK., Leung, TH.D., Ip, K.T.V. (2023). Exploring the Roles of Cognitive and Affect Empathy in Enhancing Prosocial Bystander Behavior in Simulated Cyberbullying Context. In: TSO, A.W.B., NG, S.K.K., LAW, L., BAI, T.S. (eds) The Post-pandemic Landscape of Education and Beyond: Innovation and Transformation. HKAECT 2022. Educational Communications and Technology Yearbook. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9217-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9217-9_13

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