TY - JOUR

T1 - Changing bodies changes minds: Owning another body affects social cognition

AU - Maister, Lara

AU - Slater, Mel

AU - Sanchez-Vives, Maria V

AU - Tsakiris, Manos

N1 - Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2015/1

Y1 - 2015/1

N2 - Research on stereotypes demonstrates how existing prejudice affects the way we process outgroups. Recent studies have considered whether it is possible to change our implicit social bias by experimentally changing the relationship between the self and outgroups. In a number of experimental studies, participants have been exposed to bodily illusions that induced ownership over a body different to their own with respect to gender, age, or race. Ownership of an outgroup body has been found to be associated with a significant reduction in implicit biases against that outgroup. We propose that these changes occur via a process of self association that first takes place in the physical, bodily domain as an increase in perceived physical similarity between self and outgroup member. This self association then extends to the conceptual domain, leading to a generalization of positive self-like associations to the outgroup.

AB - Research on stereotypes demonstrates how existing prejudice affects the way we process outgroups. Recent studies have considered whether it is possible to change our implicit social bias by experimentally changing the relationship between the self and outgroups. In a number of experimental studies, participants have been exposed to bodily illusions that induced ownership over a body different to their own with respect to gender, age, or race. Ownership of an outgroup body has been found to be associated with a significant reduction in implicit biases against that outgroup. We propose that these changes occur via a process of self association that first takes place in the physical, bodily domain as an increase in perceived physical similarity between self and outgroup member. This self association then extends to the conceptual domain, leading to a generalization of positive self-like associations to the outgroup.

KW - Group Processes

KW - Humans

KW - Illusions

KW - Prejudice

KW - Self Concept

KW - Social Perception

KW - User-Computer Interface

U2 - 10.1016/j.tics.2014.11.001

DO - 10.1016/j.tics.2014.11.001

M3 - Review article

C2 - 25524273

VL - 19

SP - 6

EP - 12

JO - Trends in Cognitive Sciences

JF - Trends in Cognitive Sciences

SN - 1364-6613

IS - 1

ER -