Information processing of social exclusion: Links with bullying, moral disengagement and guilt

Highlights

• This study examined the information processing of social exclusion cues.

• Findings support the sequential nature of the Social Information Processing steps.

• Bullying, moral disengagement and guilt moderate the processing of exclusion cues.

Abstract

The Social Information Processing (SIP) theory and the Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Agency were integrated to investigate the associations between SIP and bullying, guilt, and moral disengagement. Participants were 341 children and early adolescents (M_age = 11.14). Two social exclusion vignettes were administered to assess three SIP steps (step 2: Attribution of hostile intent; step 3: Selection of antisocial goals, and step 4: Generation of aggressive responses). Guilt was assessed through five vignettes. A self-report measure was used to assess moral disengagement and peer nominations were used to assess bullying perpetration. Moderated mediation analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. Findings indicated that attribution of hostile intent was associated with selection of antisocial goals, which in turn, was associated with the generation of aggressive responses among participants with high levels of bullying and low levels of guilt and moral disengagement. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical relevance.