Observing heroic behavior and its influencing factors in immersive virtual environments

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Jin, Kelou; Wu, Jie; Zhang, Ran; Zhang, Shen; Wu, Xiaoyan; Wu, Tingting; Gu, Ruolei; Liu, Chao
• 署名单位: Beijing Normal University; Beijing Normal University; Capital Normal University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Psychology, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Beijing Normal University; Beijing Normal University; Beijing Normal University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-15173
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2314590121
• 发表日期: 2024-04-23
• 关键词: social value orientation; prosocial behavior; sex-differences; helping-behavior; reality; GENDER; women; conformity; VIOLENCE

摘要

Studying heroism in controlled settings presents challenges and ethical controversies due to its association with physical risk. Leveraging virtual reality (VR) technology, we conducted a three - study series with 397 participants from China to investigate heroic actions. Participants unexpectedly witnessed a criminal event in a simulated scenario, allowing observation of their tendency to physically intercept a thief. We examined situational factors (voluntariness, authority, and risk) and personal variables [gender, impulsivity, empathy, and social value orientation (SVO)] that may influence heroism. Also, the potential association between heroism and social conformity was explored. In terms of situational variables, voluntariness modulated participants' tendency to intercept the escaping thief, while perceived risk demonstrated its impact by interacting with gender. That is, in study 3 where the perceived risk was expected to be higher (as supported by an online study 5), males exhibited a greater inclination toward heroic behavior compared to females. Regarding other personal variables, the tendency to engage in heroic behavior decreased as empathy levels rose among males, whereas the opposite trend was observed for females. SVO influenced heroic behavior but without a gender interaction. Finally, an inverse relationship between heroism and social conformity was observed. The robustness of these findings was partly supported by the Chinese sample (but not the international sample) of an online study 4 that provided written descriptions of VR scenarios, indicating cultural variations. These results advance insights into motivational factors influencing heroism in the context of restoring order and highlight the power of VR technology in examining social psychological hypotheses beyond ethical constraints.