Racial Bias and In-Group Bias in Virtual Reality Courtrooms

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-300
Author(s):  
Samantha Bielen ◽  
Wim Marneffe ◽  
Naci Mocan
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Racial Bias

A Virtual Reality Embodiment Technique to Enhance Helping Behavior of Police Towards a Victim of Police Racial Aggression

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-51
Author(s):  
Sameer Kishore ◽  
Bernhard Spanlang ◽  
Guillermo Iruretagoyena ◽  
Dalila Szostak ◽  
Mel Slater
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
African American ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
Implicit Bias ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Third Person Perspective ◽  
Intractable Problem

There is an alarming level of violence by police in the US towards African Americans. Although this may be rooted in explicit racial bias, the more intractable problem is overcoming implicit bias, bias that is non-conscious but demonstrated in actual behavior. If bias is implicit it is difficult to change through explicit methods that attempt to change attitudes. We carried out a study using virtual reality (VR) with 38 officers in a US police department, who took part in an interrogation of an African American suspect alongside an officer who was racially abusive towards the suspect. Seventeen of the participants witnessed the interview again from a third person perspective (Observer) and 21 from the embodied perspective of the suspect, now a victim of the interrogation (Victim condition), having been assigned randomly to these two groups. Some weeks later all witnessed aggression by an officer towards an African American man in a virtual cafe scenario. The results show that the actions of those who had been in the Victim condition were coded as being more helpful towards the victim than those in the Observer condition. We argue that such VR exposures operate at the experiential and implicit level rather than the explicit, and hence are more likely to be effective in combating aggression rooted in implicit bias.

scholarly journals Virtual body ownership and its consequences for implicit racial bias are dependent on social context

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 201848
Author(s):  
Domna Banakou ◽  
Alejandro Beacco ◽  
Solène Neyret ◽  
Marta Blasco-Oliver ◽  
Sofia Seinfeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Black People ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
Implicit Bias ◽  
Short Exposure ◽  
White Female ◽  
Body Ownership ◽  
Implicit Racial Bias ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Virtual Body

When people hold implicit biases against a group they typically engage in discriminatory behaviour against group members. In the context of the implicit racial bias of ‘White' against ‘Black' people, it has been shown several times that implicit bias is reduced after a short exposure of embodiment in a dark-skinned body in virtual reality. Embodiment usually leads to the illusion of ownership over the virtual body, irrespective of its skin colour. Previous studies have been carried out in virtual scenarios that are affectively neutral or positive. Here, we show that when the scenario is affectively negative the illusion of body ownership of White participants over a White body is lessened, and implicit bias is higher for White participants in a Black virtual body. The study was carried out with 92 White female participants, in a between-groups design with two factors: BodyType (their virtual body was White or Black) and a surrounding Crowd was Negative, Neutral or Positive towards the participant. We argue that negative affect prevents the formation of new positive associations with Black and distress leads to disownership of the virtual body. Although virtual reality is often thought of as an ‘empathy machine' our results suggest caution, that this may not be universally the case.

Interracial Contact in Virtual Reality: Best Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-140
Author(s):  
Valerie Jones Taylor ◽  
Juan José Valladares ◽  
Claire Siepser ◽  
Caitlyn Yantis
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Real World ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Interracial Interactions ◽  
Ethnic Representation ◽  
Interracial Contact ◽  
Interracial Interaction

Interracial interactions are occurring more frequently in virtual reality (VR) environments (e.g., multiplayer games, virtual classrooms, medical appointments). Individuals bring their biases and prejudices with them as they enter virtual spaces. Drawing from theories of real-world interracial interaction, predictable affective, cognitive, and behavioral processes undermine the quality of live interracial interactions. Emerging research using VR suggests that these same challenges occur in virtual social interactions. These challenges can be addressed using evidence-based best practices and policy recommendations: Improving racial/ethnic representation in VR, regulating codes of conduct, ensuring transparency about privacy/consent, and reducing explicit and implicit racist behavior. Following these recommendations can improve VR interracial contact and, in turn, real-world interracial interactions. While VR can serve as a unique tool to bring people together, carefully considered policies must mitigate the negative effects of racial bias that can hinder the progress of improved interracial interactions.

Top-Down Processing and Visual Reorientation Illusions in a Virtual Reality Environment

2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred W. Mast ◽  
Charles M. Oman
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Line Length ◽  
Perceptual Cues ◽  
Virtual Reality Environment ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Processing Mechanisms

The role of top-down processing on the horizontal-vertical line length illusion was examined by means of an ambiguous room with dual visual verticals. In one of the test conditions, the subjects were cued to one of the two verticals and were instructed to cognitively reassign the apparent vertical to the cued orientation. When they have mentally adjusted their perception, two lines in a plus sign configuration appeared and the subjects had to evaluate which line was longer. The results showed that the line length appeared longer when it was aligned with the direction of the vertical currently perceived by the subject. This study provides a demonstration that top-down processing influences lower level visual processing mechanisms. In another test condition, the subjects had all perceptual cues available and the influence was even stronger.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Swiss Surgery ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 250-254
Author(s):  
Vogelbach ◽  
Bogdan ◽  
Rosenthal ◽  
Pfefferkorn ◽  
Triponez
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy ◽  
Neue Technik

Fragestellung: Die dieser Untersuchung zugrunde liegende Frage war, ob das angewandte Ausbildungskonzept geeignet war, um am Beispiel der Einführung der laparoskopischen Cholezystektomie eine neue Operationsmethode in einer universitären Ausbildungsklinik mit einer grossen Anzahl Chirurgen zu etablieren. Patienten und Methodik: Seit Einführung der ersten laparoskopischen Cholezystektomie wurden alle Cholezystektomien während zwei Jahren (Mai 1990 bis Mai 1992) prospektiv erfasst. Ein Ausbildungskonzept wurde gewählt, bei dem jeweils ein Operateur durch einen Tutor geschult wurde und so 15 konsekutive Eingriffe durchführte, um dann die Technik einem weiteren auszubildenden Chirurgen zu instruieren. Resultate: In zwei Jahren wurden 355 Patienten cholezystektomiert. 60% der Operationen wurden laparoskopisch durchgeführt oder begonnen. 40% der Operationen wurden offen durchgeführt. In den ersten zwei Jahren konnten 13 Operateure (durchschnittlich 16 Operationen / Operateur , range 1 - 60) in die neue Technik eingeführt werden. Es traten keine schweren Komplikationen, insbesondere keine Gallenwegsverletzungen in dieser Einführungsphase auf. Diskussion: In der Literatur wird dieses Vorgehen bei der Einführungsphase seit 1992 wiederholt vorgestellt, diskutiert und empfohlen. Zwischenzeitlich gibt es Richtlinien von Fachgesellschaften und nationalen Institutionen, welche die Ausbildung zur Ausführung neuer chirurgischer Techniken reglementieren. In den letzten Jahren verlagern sich die ersten Ausbildungsschritte in Richtung Trainingskurse an skill-stations und virtual reality Trainer. Schlussfolgerung: Das beschriebene Ausbildungskonzept bewährte sich in der Einführungsphase der laparoskopischen Cholezystektomie zu Beginn der 90er-Jahre.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document