Jillian Klaver
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Valerie Umscheid
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology / LSA
Program:
Authors: Jillian Klaver, Valerie Umscheid
Session: Session 4: 1:40 pm – 2:30 pm
Poster: 65
Abstract
Although the effects of bullying have been widely studied, there has been little research on how children perceive bullying experiences based on motives. Research in this area may explain how and why children tolerate bullying and also provide insight into children’s responses to the behaviors. To study this, we have conducted interviews with children between the ages of seven and thirteen in which they were presented with a character who is either physically or relationally aggressive, as well as a reason for this aggression. Participants were then asked several questions about the character’s motivations, behaviors, innate qualities, and internal thoughts, as well as open-ended questions about if and how aggressive children should be punished. Data collection is still ongoing so results have not been finalized, but based on current data we expect to see significant correlations between certain behavior types and children’s ratings of innateness goodness, or badness, as well as if these behaviors will continue into adulthood. These results will provide insight into the way that children understand and cope with bullying, which could be beneficially applied in school settings to decrease problematic bullying behaviors and help children who have previously dealt with such behaviors.
