Virtual reality perspective-taking increases cognitive empathy for specific others

Previous research shows that virtual reality perspective-taking experiences (VRPT) can increase prosocial behavior toward others. We extend this research by exploring whether this effect of VRPT is driven by increased empathy and whether the effect extends to ostensibly real-stakes behavioral games....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-08, Vol.13 (8), p.e0202442-e0202442
Main Authors: van Loon, Austin, Bailenson, Jeremy, Zaki, Jamil, Bostick, Joshua, Willer, Robb
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis
Biology and Life Sciences
Cognition
Computer and Information Sciences
Empathy
Engineering and Technology
Female
Humans
Male
Medicine and Health Sciences
Physical Sciences
Research and Analysis Methods
Social Sciences
Virtual Reality
Visual Perception
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Summary:Previous research shows that virtual reality perspective-taking experiences (VRPT) can increase prosocial behavior toward others. We extend this research by exploring whether this effect of VRPT is driven by increased empathy and whether the effect extends to ostensibly real-stakes behavioral games. In a pre-registered laboratory experiment (N = 180), participants interacted with an ostensible partner (a student from the same university as them) on a series of real-stakes economic games after (a) taking the perspective of the partner in a virtual reality, "day-in-the-life" simulation, (b) taking the perspective of a different person in a "day-in-the-life" simulation, or (c) doing a neutral activity in a virtual environment. The VRPT experience successfully increased participants' subsequent propensity to take the perspective of their partner (a facet of empathy), but only if the partner was the same person whose perspective participants assumed in the virtual reality simulation. Further, this effect of VRPT on perspective-taking was moderated by participants' reported feeling of immersion in the virtual environment. However, we found no effects of VRPT experience on behavior in the economic games.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0202442