The Vertical Spatial Metaphor Difference Of Moral Concepts Of Children Involved In Bullying And The Relational Reasons

The study uses Implicit Association Test (IAT) and Detection Questionnaires totest the Vertical Spatial Metaphor difference of moral concepts of children whoinvolved in bullying and the reason of the phenomena.Experiment1used an IAT to study. The result is that the reactions of DirectBullies and Victims are faster in incompatible tasks (moral-down, immoral-up) thanin compatible tasks (moral-up, immoral-down); the reactions of Indirect Bullies,Aggressive-victims and children who are not involved in bullying are faster incompatible tasks than in incompatible tasks.Experiment2adopted a Forced-Choice Method.Children were asked to placethe words (moral/immoral) into the above/below box under their will. The result isthat Direct Bullies and Victims tend to place the moral down, and put the immoral up;Indirect Bullies, Aggressive-victims and common children have a tendency to put themoral up,and set the immoral down.Experiment3adopted a Detection Questionnaire to find out the reasons ofresults of study1and study2. The children who are not involved in bullying haveformed a kind of metaphor that the moral is up and the immoral is down in daily life.Indirect Bullies also have formed the same metaphor. Because they have higherpsychological level, and they know the results of things well. Direct Bullies andVictims have formed a metaphor that the moral is down and the immoral is up. Incase that the children did the Role Projection to Animated characters, and they cannot distinguish the moral concept with immoral concept clearly. Aggressive-victimsalso have formed the same metaphor to common children. But they have somecharacters similar to the Direct Bullies and Victims. Furthermore, there are morethan50%participants who does not give reasons.This study shows that five kinds of children in bullying have two different sortsof Vertical Spatial Metaphors. Direct Bullies and Victims tend to connect the moralto down, and link the immoral to up; Indirect Bullies, Aggressive-victims andcommon children have a tendency touch the moral to up, and link the immoral to down. The reasons of the results upon are that there are cognitive biases to the moralconcept (or immoral concept) for Direct Bullies and Victims, and their cognitivestyles are Irrational; some characters of Aggressive-victims are same to DirectBullies and Victims.