Visual attention and role recognition in bullying vignettes in preadolescents and adults

Bibliographic Data

ID9615081
AuthorsLaura Menabò (0000-0003-0741-1163, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari” University of Bologna Bologna Italy, corresponding author), Annalisa Guarini (0000-0002-3739-2162, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari” University of Bologna Bologna Italy)
Year2025
Volume96
Issue2
Pages577-592
Publication date2025-10-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.70039
PMID41047549
OpenAlexW4414843725
LanguageEN
References cited49

BACKGROUND: Bullying research has traditionally relied on self-reported measures such as questionnaires and interviews. Previous studies have shown developmental differences in attention mechanisms, with adults relying more on top-down processing and younger individuals on bottom-up attention. However, it remains unclear whether these differences extend to bullying scene observation and how they influence the perception of different bullying roles. AIMS: This study examined differences in visual attention (total fixation duration, visit count, fixation count) and verbal recognition of bullying roles between preadolescents and adults. SAMPLE: = 30.72, SD = 4.89). METHODS: Participants viewed 12 vignette-based bullying scenes while their eye movements were recorded using an eye tracker. They then provided verbal descriptions of each observed vignette. RESULTS: Both groups primarily fixated on bullies and victims, reinforcing the centrality of the bully-victim dyad. However, adults allocated significantly more attention to the other roles and described them with greater accuracy than preadolescents. In particular, in adults, defenders and pro-bullies attracted more fixations, visits, and total fixation time, while bystanders received more total fixation time. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that adults process bullying situations in a more structured and holistic manner, likely due to top-down attentional mechanisms shaped by social experience. These developmental differences highlight the crucial role of adults in fostering awareness of all bullying roles among preadolescents, emphasizing the need for interventions that encourage broader role recognition beyond the bully-victim dynamic

Cognition · Injury prevention · Poison control · Psychological intervention · Social recognition · Visual attention · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Human Factors and Ergonomics

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