Ostracism: How Witnessing the Perpetrators Influences Subsequent Experiences of the Target

Ostracism refers to being ignored or excluded by others. Ostracism is common among social groups and victims of ostracism suffer a variety of negative consequences. Although humans see it perpetrated everywhere, little research has examined the effect of observing ostracism on one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Our project examines how witnessing ostracism influences a person’s subsequent neural and behavioral reactions to being the target of exclusion. Measures of neural activity were obtained from participants while engaged in computerized social interaction (Cyberball). Self-report measures of emotional states and levels of distress were collected following the interaction. Two hypotheses are considered. If the heightened affective state brought on by witnessing exclusion persists, then participants who witness exclusion will exhibit increased distress and associated neural activity during their exclusion experience. Alternatively, if self-regulatory processes are activated, then participants who witness exclusion will exhibit decreased distress and associated neural activity during the experience