Abstract
Several disciplines have investigated the interconnected empathic abilities behind the proverb “to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” to determine how the presence, and absence, of empathy-related phenomena affect prosocial behavior and intergroup relations. Empathy enables us to learn from others’ pain and to know when to offer support. Similarly, virtual reality (VR) appears to allow individuals to step into someone else’s shoes, through a perceptual illusion called embodiment, or the body ownership illusion. Considering these perspectives, we propose a theoretical analysis of different mechanisms of empathic practices in order to define a possible framework for the design of empathic training in VR. This is not intended to be an extensive review of all types of practices, but an exploration of empathy and empathy-related phenomena. Empathy-related training practices are analyzed and categorized. We also identify different variables used by pioneer studies in VR to promote empathy-related responses. Finally, we propose strategies for using embodied VR technology to train specific empathy-related abilities.
Highlights
This work combines studies and reviews from research in cognitive science, psychology, education, medicine, the arts, and virtual reality (VR) to address one specific topic: the potential use of VR for learning empathy-related abilities
The article is divided into three sections which address the following questions: (A) What empathy-related abilities should be enhanced? (B) What are good training strategies to enhance these abilities? (C) What is the best use of VR to enhance these abilities?
This review article has brought an interdisciplinary perspective to promote insights on how to use VR for training empathic skills. It offers a guide for highlighted concepts, educational practices and VR techniques that can be used in empathy-related learning
Summary
Emotion regulation can act as a key factor to allow individuals to self-regulate their own stress, in order to direct affective empathy into empathic concern instead of personal distress (Decety, 2010; McCall and Singer, 2013). In one study from 2006 with 148,189 American students from sixth to twelfth grade, between only 29 and 45% reported having social competencies such as empathy, decision making, and conflict resolution skills; 71% indicated that their school did not provide an encouraging environment (Durlak et al, 2011) To address these topics, the process of SEL was created to enable learners to identify and manage their emotions, motivations, decisions, and social relations (Elias et al, 1997) through self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, 2005—casel.org).
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