Expectations and judgments regarding bystanders» and victims« responses to peer aggression among early adolescents

The purpose of the current research was to investigate early adolescents' thinking about peer behaviors when associates engage in acts of aggression. The participants (n=195), 4th, 6th, and 8th graders, received two sets of questions. One set pertained to evaluations of bystanders' expected and prescribed behavioral responses when the relationship of the bystander to the perpetrator and to the victim was manipulated. That is, the perpetrator and the victim were either good friends or acquaintances of the bystander. A second set pertained to evaluations of victims' expected and prescribed behavioral responses when the perpetrator was either a good friend or an acquaintance. The overall findings suggest that evaluation of behavioral responses on the part of bystanders and victims is influenced by the relationship among the parties involved. Grade differences are noted.