ProSocial and AntiSocial (This page is live) Behaviour in Digital Worlds: a model based approach

This project will explore the contribution that a model based approach can make to understanding the emergence of both
prosocial
and antisocial
behaviour in digital worlds. It will draw on research in the psychology of group processes and
social influence to develop and test models that explore the dynamics of the escalation or deescalation
of aggression. In
particular it will focus on phenomena like trolling, cyberbullying
and 'digitalantism'. It will examine the role that 'third
parties' play in the perpetuation of negative behaviours, but also the promotion of positive behaviours in digital encounters.
In this project you will learn about analysing temporal sequences in digital data. We will ask if it is important to know not
only how people might act, but also when they act, if we want to understand the trajectory of aggression online. We will
explore whether particular temporal patterns of third party responses to aggression predict prosocial
or antisocial
outcomes. The project will build on existing work in the research group that has modelled aggressive interactions in public
spaces captured on CCTV cameras.
The project would suit either a candidate with a psychology/animal behaviour background interested in the application of a
model based approach to understanding social behaviour - or a candidate with a computer science/mathematics
background interested in social psychological phenomena.