Exploring Virtual Embodiment and Implicit Racial Bias in Adolescents and Adults

Racial bias emerges early in life: explicit bias is often observable in childhood but tends to decline with age, whereas implicit bias typically persists through adolescence, shaped by stereotypes, peer dynamics, and identity development. Given adolescents’ heightened sensitivity to peer exclusion and discrimination, interventions targeting implicit bias during this stage may have important implications. Prior studies suggest that embodying avatars of different races in virtual reality (VR) can influence implicit attitudes, with effects depending on surrounding social context: positive interactions may reduce bias, whereas negative experiences may exacerbate it. This study extends this work, examining whether implicit racial bias changes from pre- to post-exposure following embodiment in a Black virtual body presented in either a positive or negative social context among White adolescents and adults. Participants experienced a strong sense of embodiment, with adolescents reporting greater perceived agency, while adults exhibited stronger emotional reactions to social cues. Nevertheless, no statistically detectable changes in racial bias were found from pre- to post-exposure, and these changes did not differ significantly by social context condition or age group. Overall, in this brief, single-session, and primarily non-interactive embodiment scenario with non-reciprocal crowd exposure, we found no statistically significant short-term changes in racial bias. However, the intervention elicited strong embodiment and selective, age-dependent differences in socio-affective experience, suggesting that more intensive, socially interactive, and tailored VR designs may be required for attitude change.