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posted by CoolHand on Saturday May 09 2015, @01:58AM   Printer-friendly
from the we-like-cartoon-chicks dept.

Researchers at Penn State have measured responses to avatars rated on a scale of attractiveness:

In a study of how people interacted with avatars in an online game, women received less help from fellow players than men when they operated an unattractive avatar and when they used a male avatar, said T. Franklin Waddell, a doctoral candidate in mass communications, Penn State.

"It doesn't matter if you have an ugly avatar or not, if you're a man, you'll still receive about the same amount of help," said Waddell, who worked with James Ivory, associate professor of communication, Virginia Tech. "However, if you are a woman and operate an unattractive avatar, you will receive significantly less help."

The researchers used six different avatars to study reactions to help requests among 2,300 players of the online game, World of Warcraft. The avatars represented male and female creatures across three different levels of attractiveness. Prior to this study, participants had evaluated the levels of attractiveness as high, medium and low.

WoW racism at work: the highly attractive avatars were blood elves, the somewhat attractive avatars were night elves, and the unattractive avatars were orcs.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday May 09 2015, @03:46PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday May 09 2015, @03:46PM (#180778) Journal

    I watched a couple variations on the doll test. Watched portions of more. All flawed. Just give the kids nearly identical dolls, with different skin colors, and see which ones they play with. Every video and portion of a video that I watched had very staged, and contrived situations, with children apparently primed to try to please the person asking questions. We can't know what these children were told before the video started. We can't know much of anything, except that the "researchers" decided to show us certain results that support their assertions.

    I am not, for one moment, believing that little black children spend their days envying little white children for their skin color. I'll believe that ANY poor child will envy another child for his apparent wealth, but SKIN COLOR?!?!?!? Only if skin color is perceived to establish wealth and privilege. Note the use of the word "perceived".

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  • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Sunday May 10 2015, @05:56AM

    by Reziac (2489) on Sunday May 10 2015, @05:56AM (#181004) Homepage

    And children are really good at doing "Clever Hans". They're far more perceptive than most adults give them credit for.

    --
    And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.