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Cyberbullying: Effect of emergency perception on the helping tendencies of bystanders.

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Title: Cyberbullying: Effect of emergency perception on the helping tendencies of bystanders.
Authors: Liu, Cheng-Hong1 (AUTHOR) liusmallhon@seed.net.tw, Yin, Xian-Rui1 (AUTHOR), Huang, Po-Sheng2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Telematics & Informatics. Sep2021, Vol. 62, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Cyberbullying, Helping behavior, Empathy, Group reading, Sensory perception
Abstract: • We test the effect of emergency perception on cyber-bystanders' helping tendencies and the mechanisms involved. • When cyber-bystanders perceived the situation of the victim to be more critical, they exhibited higher helping tendencies. • When the victim revealed information of being in urgent situations, cyber-bystanders exhibited higher helping tendencies. • Cyber-bystanders' emergency perception of the victim can increase helping tendencies directly. • It can also increase helping tendencies indirectly, through increasing state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help. The effect of the emergency perception of bystanders of cyberbullying victims on helping behaviors is often neglected in research on cyberbullying. In this study, we explored the influence of this cognitive factor on cyber-bystanders' helping tendencies as well as elucidated possible underlying processes. The results of two studies were reported. In Study 1, 150 undergraduates read a true case of a girl experiencing cyberbullying. The results indicated that when the participants perceived the victim's situation to be more critical (i.e., higher emergency perception), their helping tendencies were stronger, partly through increased state empathy followed by feelings of responsibility to help. In Study 2, we randomly assigned 300 undergraduates to two groups. The low emergency group read the same cyberbullying case as Study 1, whereas the cyberbullying case read by the high emergency group contained additional emergency information of the victim. The results indicated that the high emergency group expressed stronger helping tendencies than did the low emergency group. This effect was caused by a stronger perception that the victim was in an emergency situation, which not only strengthened the participants' helping tendencies directly but also indirectly through increasing their state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
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Abstract:• We test the effect of emergency perception on cyber-bystanders' helping tendencies and the mechanisms involved. • When cyber-bystanders perceived the situation of the victim to be more critical, they exhibited higher helping tendencies. • When the victim revealed information of being in urgent situations, cyber-bystanders exhibited higher helping tendencies. • Cyber-bystanders' emergency perception of the victim can increase helping tendencies directly. • It can also increase helping tendencies indirectly, through increasing state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help. The effect of the emergency perception of bystanders of cyberbullying victims on helping behaviors is often neglected in research on cyberbullying. In this study, we explored the influence of this cognitive factor on cyber-bystanders' helping tendencies as well as elucidated possible underlying processes. The results of two studies were reported. In Study 1, 150 undergraduates read a true case of a girl experiencing cyberbullying. The results indicated that when the participants perceived the victim's situation to be more critical (i.e., higher emergency perception), their helping tendencies were stronger, partly through increased state empathy followed by feelings of responsibility to help. In Study 2, we randomly assigned 300 undergraduates to two groups. The low emergency group read the same cyberbullying case as Study 1, whereas the cyberbullying case read by the high emergency group contained additional emergency information of the victim. The results indicated that the high emergency group expressed stronger helping tendencies than did the low emergency group. This effect was caused by a stronger perception that the victim was in an emergency situation, which not only strengthened the participants' helping tendencies directly but also indirectly through increasing their state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:07365853
DOI:10.1016/j.tele.2021.101627