Research In-Progress
Virtual Environments for Research Translation
As a research fellow in the Center for Children’s Health Assessment, Research Translation, and Environmental Racism (CHARTER), we are looking for innovative ways to use virtual environments to connect with children about environmental health. One current project utilizes Roblox, a popular children’s virtual gaming platform, to create a world that translates science-backed research to elementary and middle school-aged children in a fun and engaging way.
Publications
Radicalizing social virtual realities
Hatfield, H. R. (forthcoming). Radicalizing Social Virtual Realities. In N. D. Bowman (Ed.)., Emerging issues for emerging technologies: informed provocations for theorizing media futures (Chapter 3). Peter Lang.
Virtual reality (VR) can create and shape inclusive, diverse, and accessible environments. This technology allows people to transform an imaginary experience into a reality. However, when people can mold their virtual lifestyles into anything, we must be cautious of (re)producing harmful dominant norms in these virtual environments, such as norms influenced by white supremacy and cis-heteropatriarchy inflicting the “real world.” This chapter explores opportunities to resist prevailing norms and radicalize virtual realities to deconstruct persistent inequities within VR advancement, research practices, and VR for work and socialization. The chapter discusses future implications for scholars, creators, gamers, and more to commit to the fight for inclusive, just, accessible environments for all.
Confronting whiteness through virtual humans: a review of 20 years of research in prejudice and racial bias using virtual environments
Haley R Hatfield, Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn, Matthew Klein, Kristine L Nowak
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 27, Issue 6, November 2022, zmac016, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmac016
Virtual environments (VEs) provide novel ways for users to experience computer generated people and places, which can be used by researchers to examine and reduce racial bias. However, unless researchers consider the systemtic structures of racial inequities when designing their simulations, they may unintentionally create experiences that could prime or entrench racist beliefs or attitudes. A critical Whiteness framework guides this systematic review of 20 years of prejudice and bias reduction research in VEs. Of the 68 articles, findings indicated that virtual experiences are a promising tool in anti-bias interventions. Future research must expand to more longitudinal, behaviorally focused studies while prioritizing predictive theoretical models and meaningfully reflecting on inclusive practices within the broader bias reduction space. We discuss best practices for future research in anti-bias and anti-prejudice in VEs.
Posters
On being human: An investigation of virtual influencers & activism
Haley R. Hatfield and Aarum F. Youn-Heil
Presented in the Mass Communication & Society Division at the 106th AEJMC Conference, Washington, DC., (2023)
This study examines the anthropomorphic qualities of a virtual influencer (VI), a computer-generated character used by companies to mimic human influencers. Despite their versatile applications, such as advocating for social issues, VIs' human-like features often perpetuate performative activism. Understanding the implications of VIs' human-likeness is crucial for responsible digital allyship practices and social progress.
Examining the effects of violence level and provocation on aversive motivation activation and resource allocation in violent humorous ads
Alexandra L. Frank, Jeffrey Duncan, Glenna Read, Haley R. Hatfield, and Solyee Kim
Presented in the Information Systems Division at the International Communication Association 73rd Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada (2023)
From late-night talk shows to candy advertisements, violent humor is used to capture attention by eliciting a strong emotional response. Prior research illustrates the effectiveness of violent humorous ads in increasing consumers' attention. However, findings also indicate that ads with too much violence can alienate consumers by evoking negative responses and aversive reactions leaving advertisers to perform a balancing act as they attempt to find the right amounts of humor and violence. This research aims to examine the balance between humor and violence in advertisements on cognitive and affective processing. We utilize a mixed 2 (violence level: high, low) x 2(provocation: present, absent) factorial design with violence level between subject and provocation within to investigate our research questions.
