A recent study by researchers Linfeng Wu and Karen Chen used virtual reality (VR) to investigate implicit gender bias by immersing participants in the body of the opposite gender. Over 20 minutes, 40 participants engaged with avatars and confronted simulated harassment, leading to a notable reduction in implicit biases among men who embodied female avatars. This experiment highlights VR's potential as a tool for social change by allowing individuals to experience perspectives different from their own, thus fostering empathy and understanding towards the complexities of gender dynamics.
Implicit attitudes, buried deep in our mental machinery, can quietly shape how we perceive, judge, and act. We may not feel them, nor even be aware of them.
Their study explores the potential of virtual reality not just to entertain or simulate, but to rewire, at least temporarily, our implicit gender biases.
The participants, 20 men and 20 women, were equipped with motion tracking sensors and headsets, their movements reflected in real time onto lifelike avatars.
They experienced a series of scenarios ranging from offhand comments to sexual propositions, allowing them to gain insights into the challenges faced by the opposite gender.
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