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All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes
Research in the past decade has demonstrated the potential of virtual reality perspective-taking (VRPT) to reduce bias against salient outgroups. In the perspective-taking literature, both affective and cognitive mechanisms have been theorized and identified as plausible pathways to prejudice reduct...
Autores principales: | , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10542896/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37790235 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1265284 |
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author | Chen, Vivian Hsueh Hua Ibasco, Gabrielle C. |
author_facet | Chen, Vivian Hsueh Hua Ibasco, Gabrielle C. |
author_sort | Chen, Vivian Hsueh Hua |
collection | PubMed |
description | Research in the past decade has demonstrated the potential of virtual reality perspective-taking (VRPT) to reduce bias against salient outgroups. In the perspective-taking literature, both affective and cognitive mechanisms have been theorized and identified as plausible pathways to prejudice reduction. Few studies have systematically compared affective and cognitive mediators, especially in relation to virtual reality, a medium posited to produce visceral, affective experiences. The present study seeks to extend current research on VRPT’s mechanisms by comparing empathy (affective) and situational attributions (cognitive) as dual mediators influencing intergroup attitudes (affective) and stereotypes (cognitive). In a between-subjects experiment, 84 participants were randomly assigned to embody a VR ingroup or outgroup waiting staff at a local food establishment, interacting with an impolite ingroup customer. Results indicated that participants in the outgroup VRPT condition reported significantly more positive attitudes and stereotypes towards outgroup members than those in the ingroup VRPT condition. For both attitudes and stereotypes, empathy significantly mediated the effect of VRPT, but situational attributions did not. Findings from this research provide support for affect as a key component of virtual experiences and how they shape intergroup perceptions. Implications and directions for further research are discussed. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-10542896 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2023 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-105428962023-10-03 All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes Chen, Vivian Hsueh Hua Ibasco, Gabrielle C. Front Psychol Psychology Research in the past decade has demonstrated the potential of virtual reality perspective-taking (VRPT) to reduce bias against salient outgroups. In the perspective-taking literature, both affective and cognitive mechanisms have been theorized and identified as plausible pathways to prejudice reduction. Few studies have systematically compared affective and cognitive mediators, especially in relation to virtual reality, a medium posited to produce visceral, affective experiences. The present study seeks to extend current research on VRPT’s mechanisms by comparing empathy (affective) and situational attributions (cognitive) as dual mediators influencing intergroup attitudes (affective) and stereotypes (cognitive). In a between-subjects experiment, 84 participants were randomly assigned to embody a VR ingroup or outgroup waiting staff at a local food establishment, interacting with an impolite ingroup customer. Results indicated that participants in the outgroup VRPT condition reported significantly more positive attitudes and stereotypes towards outgroup members than those in the ingroup VRPT condition. For both attitudes and stereotypes, empathy significantly mediated the effect of VRPT, but situational attributions did not. Findings from this research provide support for affect as a key component of virtual experiences and how they shape intergroup perceptions. Implications and directions for further research are discussed. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-09-18 /pmc/articles/PMC10542896/ /pubmed/37790235 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1265284 Text en Copyright © 2023 Chen and Ibasco. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Psychology Chen, Vivian Hsueh Hua Ibasco, Gabrielle C. All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
title | All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
title_full | All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
title_fullStr | All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
title_full_unstemmed | All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
title_short | All it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
title_sort | all it takes is empathy: how virtual reality perspective-taking influences intergroup attitudes and stereotypes |
topic | Psychology |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10542896/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37790235 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1265284 |
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