Abstract
Online virtual worlds promise an escape from mundane everyday environments and exempt users from the normal laws of time, space, and gravity. However, the laws of social influence may not be as easily dodged. In the virtual world of There.com we tested two robust real‐world compliance tactics (foot‐in‐the‐door, door‐in‐the‐face) with avatar “race” as a moderator. Results revealed success for both techniques, suggesting that avatars are sensitive to influence tactics targeting both self‐perception and reciprocity norms. Additionally, the race of the avatar requesting help impacted the success of the door‐in‐the‐face compliance technique, raising the specter that real‐world racial biases may also emerge in virtual environments. We wish to thank There.com for graciously allowing us to perform these experiments. This research was facilitated in part by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awarded to Paul Eastwick. We gratefully acknowledge Eli Finkel, Vincent Kudirka, members of the Northwestern social self lab, and Doug Medin's Psychology 423 class for their insightful comments on earlier drafts on this paper. We also thank the following individuals for their assistance in running the There.com trials: Erica Slotter, Maya Ragavan, Swathi Gandhavadi, Joan Hoedeman, Suji Jhaveri, Nikki Kabra, Allison Resnick, and Emily Yeagley.
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