Cyberball Paradigm

The Cyberball paradigm, introduced by Williams, Cheung, and Choi in 2000, is the most widely used experimental method for inducing social exclusion in the laboratory. Participants believe they are playing a simple online ball-toss game with two or three other people, who are in fact computer-controlled. In the inclusion condition the participant receives the ball about as often as everyone else; in the exclusion condition the other players throw the ball to each other but, after a few initial throws, stop throwing to the participant entirely, ostracizing them. Despite the triviality and artificiality of the game -- the players are unseen strangers and the ball is virtual -- being excluded reliably threatens four fundamental needs (belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence) and produces negative mood and a cascade of downstream effects. Cyberball's power, simplicity, and adaptability made it the standard tool for studying the psychology of ostracism and rejection.