Title of Research Project
Reducing Implicit Gender Bias Using a Virtual Workplace Environment
Major
Computer Science
Research Abstract
Implicit gender bias has costly and complex consequences for women in the workplace. We present an online desktop virtual environment that follows the story of a male or female self-avatar from the first-person perspective, who either experiences a positive or negative workplace scenario. Participants who experienced negative workplace experiences with a female self-avatar had significantly decreased levels of implicit gender bias compared to those who had a male self-avatar with evidence of perspective taking. Experiences of a positive workplace scenario showed no significant decreases in implicit gender bias regardless of self-avatar gender. We discuss the implications of these findings and make recommendations for virtual environment technologies and scenarios with respect to the reduction of implicit biases.
Faculty Mentor/Advisor
Beste Yuksel
audio
NickiHashemi_ReducingBias_compsci_poster.pptx (2015 kB)
PowerPoint
NickiHashemi_ReducingBias_compsci_transcript.pdf (42 kB)
transcript
Reducing Implicit Gender Bias Using a Virtual Workplace Environment
Implicit gender bias has costly and complex consequences for women in the workplace. We present an online desktop virtual environment that follows the story of a male or female self-avatar from the first-person perspective, who either experiences a positive or negative workplace scenario. Participants who experienced negative workplace experiences with a female self-avatar had significantly decreased levels of implicit gender bias compared to those who had a male self-avatar with evidence of perspective taking. Experiences of a positive workplace scenario showed no significant decreases in implicit gender bias regardless of self-avatar gender. We discuss the implications of these findings and make recommendations for virtual environment technologies and scenarios with respect to the reduction of implicit biases.