A new study by researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi has found that embodying a famous woman scientist in virtual reality can reduce the tendency to associate science with men, potentially helping to shift perceptions of science as a traditionally male domain.
Published in Computers in Human Behavior, the study, “Walking in Her Shoes: Virtual Embodiment of a Famous Female Scientist Reduces Implicit Gender–Science Associations,” examined whether experiencing the perspective of a famous woman scientist through virtual reality could influence implicit associations between gender and science that contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM.
The NYU Abu Dhabi team, Marta Beneda, Julia Spielmann, Amna Ramadhan Alahmadi, and Domna Banakou, led by Assistant Professor of Psychology and Global Network Assistant Professor of Psychology Andrea Vial, collected data from 253 participants who embodied one of three avatars: Marie Curie, the pioneering physicist and chemist and first woman to win a Nobel Prize; Albert Einstein; or a gender-matched avatar representing a peer.
The study measured participants’ implicit gender–science associations one week before the virtual reality experience, immediately afterward, and one week later. Results showed that participants who embodied Curie had reduced associations between science and men. Further analysis found that this effect persisted one week later primarily among women participants, while the study found no change among participants who embodied Einstein.
The study also found a reduction in implicit gender–science associations among participants who embodied a gender-matched peer avatar, with the effect persisting one week later among men but not women. The findings highlight how participant characteristics, task design, and context may influence the effects of virtual embodiment.
The findings provide a foundation for further research into whether immersive, first-person experiences involving other counter-stereotypical role models could similarly influence implicit gender–science associations.
