Colloquium Series
Beyond Surveys: Using Innovative Methods for Understanding Peer Defending in School Bullying
![Laura Lambe, PhD.]()
Laura Lambe, PhD
Assistant Professor & Clinical Psychologist,
Department of Psychology
St. Francis Xavier University
Recipient of the 2025 Alberti Center Early Career Award- Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
- Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Online via Zoom
How do we study what happens when young people witness bullying, and why do some choose to intervene while others remain passive? This talk will explore how using multiple research methodologies can provide a richer understanding of peer defending in bullying contexts. Drawing on a program of research spanning quantitative, qualitative, and immersive methods, Dr. Lambe will discuss how interviews help capture youths’ lived experiences, while emerging technologies such as virtual reality allow researchers to examine bystander decision-making in realistic yet ethically controlled settings. By highlighting the strengths and limitations of different methodological approaches, this presentation will demonstrate how integrating diverse methods can generate new insights into the social processes underlying peer defending to inform more effective prevention and intervention efforts.
Attendees will:
- Understand how social information processing theory can be applied to bystander decision-making in bullying contexts.
- Compare the unique strengths and limitations of surveys, interviews, and experimental methods for studying peer defending and bullying.
- Learn how virtual reality can be used to understand the mechanisms underlying peer defending that may not be captured through traditional methods.
- Consider how research findings on bystanders may help inform bullying prevention efforts.
One hour of NASP-approved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is available for this event.