Description: This Huffington Post article cites a study from the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences. It discusses how researchers using virtual reality experiments gave their subjects the opportunity to experience their bodies with different color skins, ages, and gender. The results suggested that unconscious racial biases could be reduced by having an individual become more empathetic by “walking in another’s shoes” and thus lessen unconscious racial stereotypes. The Huffington Post article posts both graphics and video illustrations of the virtual reality employed in the study that can be used in class or powerpoints.

Source: The Huffington Post by Almendrala and Cooper-White

Date: December 15, 2014

RESOURCES:

Huffington Post Article

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/virtual-body-swapping-racism_n_6328654.html

Trends in Cognitive Sciences (December 2014)

http://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613%2814%2900234-4

Questions for Discussions:

• Based upon studies in Social Psychology, how are racial stereotypes formed?
• What techniques from classic studies have been shown to reduce racial bias?
• Based upon the descriptions in the current study, how can exposure and empathy be employed to reduce racial bias?
• Given the current problems in law enforcement in the news, how could this study be applied to working with urban police departments?