Hyuckjin Jang, Jeongmi Lee, 2022

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) technologies have been explored as a means of enhancing empathy and reducing people’s implicit biases towards those of different genders, races, and ages. However, there has been relatively little research on the use of VR to address implicit biases toward individuals with physical disabilities. While some studies have investigated this type of bias, the effects found have been inconsistent and appear to be influenced by the avatar representations used and the context in which they are experienced. This study aims to identify the key components of VR disability simulations that affect people’s implicit biases towards people with physical disabilities and their avatar embodiment. The experiment used a 2×2 between-subject design based on two variables: (1) a negative or neutral context for the situation presented, and (2) whether or not the wheelchair-using avatar was visualized.