Exploring the Effect of Counterstereotype and Perspective Taking in Reducing Bias and Promoting Empathy in Police

Racism in policing continues to be a serious issue in the United States (U.S.). While most efforts to reduce racism, focus on changing implicit (i.e., nonconscious) racial biases, other factors may also influence behavior. Intergroup emotion theory posits that emotions, especially empathy, may play a powerful role in changing behavior. In this study, using community-based participatory research design we created and tested a virtual reality (VR) experience designed to reduce implicit racial bias through perspective taking and counter-stereotypical information. Fifty-six police officers from a large city took part in the study. They completed questionnaires and an implicit association task (IAT) before and after the VR experience to measure empathy and racial bias. After using the tool, officers showed a significant drop in implicit racial bias. The parts of the VR experience that included counterstereotypes increased empathy, as well as the components that encouraged officers to engage in perspective taking. Importantly, the empathy that officers reported during the VR experience was predictive of a stronger interest in working with community members through community building activities. This study shows that empathy, an emotion that can build connections, is a key factor to meaningful change in policing through bias reduction and empathy building.