BULLYING IN SCHOOLS: THE ROLE OF EMPATHY, TEMPERAMENT, AND EMOTION REGULATION by Chantal M. Gagnon A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL May 2012 Copyright by Chantal M. Gagnon 2012 ii BULLYING IN SCHOOLS: THE ROLE OF EMPATHY, TEMPERAMENT, AND EMOTION REGULATION by Chantal M. Gagnon This dissertation was prepared under the direction of the candidate's dissertation advisor, Dr. Nancy Aaron Jones, Department of Psychology, and has been approved by the members of her supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. SUPERVISORY COMMIJTEE:, a cy aron Jones, Ph.D. Dissertation Advisor ~ J- l-; L. A~l...--~__ David L. Wol in, Ph.D. ~ Chair, D rent ychology iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research project would not have been possible without the assistance and efforts of several people. I extend my gratitude to Christopher Aults, Joey Colter, Adrian Mahado, and Kathleen Perez. The support of Nathalie Beaulieu, Mike and Nancy Bachand, Grace Foschi and Jessica Wassung in all my endeavors merits a special mention. I would also like to convey my appreciation to my entire committee for their ongoing guidance, support, and feedback. In particular, I will always be grateful to my advisor, Dr. Nancy Aaron Jones, for her willingness to persist with me through challenging times in the completion of this project. Finally, I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation and love for my husband and parents for their unyielding support and encouragement throughout the writing of this manuscript. iv ABSTRACT Author: Chantal M. Gagnon Title: Bullying in Schools: The Role of Empathy, Temperament, and Emotion Regulation Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Nancy Aaron Jones Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2012 Peer aggression and bullying are significant problems for children in American schools. While a large body of research has been conducted in this area, none to date has examined the combined roles of temperament (behavioral activation system, or BAS, and behavioral inhibition system, or BIS), and empathy in predicting participation in bullying interactions. Previous research has found that low empathy facilitates aggressive behavior, while high empathy inhibits it, and has linked poor emotion regulation to conduct disorders. Thus, if these factors can predict behaviors towards peers, they may also predict (independently and in combination) involvement in bullying, specifically the roles assumed in those interactions—that is: bully, victim, bully-victim (a child who is both bully and victim), or defender/protector. The present study tested 226 v middle school students on a measure of empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and a measure of temperament (BIS/BAS Scales). The students also completed a Peer Nomination Inventory to identify children who were aggressive toward others, victimized by peers, and/or protected peers from bullies. Although not all predictions were supported, results showed that certain sub-components of empathy, such as empathic concern (affective empathy) and personal distress (a measure of emotion regulation) predicted the behavior of “pure bullies” (bullies who are not themselves victimized), but not of other aggressive children such as bully-victims. High BAS drive and low BIS were significant predictors of aggressive behavior, and BAS reward responsiveness predicted protective behavior. Victimized children had higher fantasy (ability to identify with fictional characters) and lower perspective-taking (cognitive empathy) skills, and tended not to have overlapping characteristics and behaviors with protective children. These characteristics did not interact significantly with each other or with age, gender, ethnicity, or SES of students. It was concluded that pure bullies lack affective empathy, and victims lack cognitive empathy. That is, empathy is multi- dimensional and empathy deficits vary in type, but all lead to some form of socio- emotional impairment. Furthermore, aggressive victims are a unique sub-group of children with unique characteristics. vi DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to the two women who always believed in my abilities and first taught me to believe in myself, to trust my instincts, and to never, ever give up: my mother Denise Bachand Gagnon and my friend and mentor Dr. Lynette Feder. BULLYING IN SCHOOLS: THE ROLE OF EMPATHY, TEMPERAMENT, AND EMOTION REGULATION List of Tables ...................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 The Epidemic of Bullying ................................................................................ 1 Empathy......................................................................................................... 3 Empathy and Aggression ............................................................................... 7 Survey vs. Experiential Methods .................................................................. 18 Emotion Regulation ...................................................................................... 19 Temperament: Behavioral Inhibition and Activation ...................................... 21 Summary and Hypotheses ........................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 2 Method ....................................................................................... 30 Participants .................................................................................................. 30 Measures ..................................................................................................... 31 Procedure .................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 3 RESULTS ................................................................................... 35 Predictor Variables ....................................................................................... 35 Behaviors ..................................................................................................... 36 Covariates .................................................................................................... 39 Hypotheses in Terms of Continuous Variables ............................................. 43 viii Hypothesis Tests ......................................................................................... 44 Stage 1 of Analysis ...................................................................................... 45 Stage 2 of Analysis ...................................................................................... 47 Stage 3 of Analyses ..................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION ............................................................................. 62 Summary of Results ..................................................................................... 62 Evaluation of Hypotheses ............................................................................ 63 Discussion of the Results for Each Behavior ................................................ 66 Aggressive, Bully-Victim, and Pure Bully ................................................ 66 Victimized ............................................................................................... 68 Protective ............................................................................................... 69 Covariates .................................................................................................... 70 Brief Discussion of the Bully-Victim Concept ................................................ 71 Strengths of the Study.................................................................................. 72 Limitations of the Study ................................................................................ 73 Implications for the Field .............................................................................. 75 Recommendations for Future Research ....................................................... 76 Appendix A IRB Approval ................................................................................ 78 Appendix B Parental Permission and Informed Consent ................................. 79 Appendix D IRI ................................................................................................ 83 Appendix E BIS/BAS ....................................................................................... 86 Appendix F PNI Example ............................................................................... 88 Appendix G Tables for Covariates 1 ................................................................ 91 ix Appendix H Tables for Covariates 2 ................................................................ 93 Appendix I Tables for Covariates 3 .................................................................. 95 Appendix J Tables for Covariates 4 ................................................................. 98 Appendix K Tables for Covariates 5 ................................................................ 99 Appendix L Tables for Covariates 6 ..............................................................