Sun Qian, Su Shuchang, Lai Shuting, Ding Xi, Guo Shaoyang
Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
School of Educational Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Aug 18;15(8):1120. doi: 10.3390/bs15081120.
This study examined how undergraduate bystanders respond to cyber-ostracism events and the moderating role of rejection sensitivity in shaping helping behaviors using two experiments. In Experiment 1 ( = 276), we first measured participants' rejection sensitivity, then manipulated cyber-ostracism using a social media interaction scenario, and finally, measured helping behavior towards the (non-)ostracism target using a questionnaire. Experiment 2 ( = 258) sought to replicate and extend the findings of Experiment 1 using a methodologically refined design, in which we employed a modified Cyberball paradigm to manipulate cyber-ostracism and measured bystanders' helping behavior through their resource allocation decisions (i.e., token sharing). The results revealed that witnessing cyber-ostracism significantly promoted bystanders' helping behavior. This facilitative effect was more pronounced among bystanders with high rejection sensitivity. These findings shed light on the psychological mechanisms underlying bystanders' helping responses in the context of cyber-ostracism and provide a new perspective for understanding interpersonal interactions in digital environments.
本研究通过两项实验，考察了大学生旁观者对网络排斥事件的反应，以及拒绝敏感性在塑造帮助行为中的调节作用。在实验1（N = 276）中，我们首先测量了参与者的拒绝敏感性，然后使用社交媒体互动场景操纵网络排斥，最后通过问卷调查测量对（非）被排斥目标的帮助行为。实验2（N = 258）试图使用方法上更精细的设计来复制和扩展实验1的结果，其中我们采用改良的Cyberball范式来操纵网络排斥，并通过旁观者的资源分配决策（即代币分享）来测量他们的帮助行为。结果表明，目睹网络排斥显著促进了旁观者的帮助行为。这种促进作用在拒绝敏感性高的旁观者中更为明显。这些发现揭示了网络排斥背景下旁观者帮助反应的心理机制，并为理解数字环境中的人际互动提供了新的视角。
