Bedder, Rachel L.Bush, DanielBanakou, DomnaPeck, Tabitha C.Slater, MelBurgess, Neil2020-11-092020-11-092019-03-010010-0277https://hdl.handle.net/2445/171887Implicit social biases play a critical role in shaping our attitudes towards other people. Such biases are thought to arise, in part, from a comparison between features of one's own self-image and those of another agent, a process known as 'bodily resonance'. Recent data have demonstrated that implicit bias can be remarkably plastic, being modulated by brief immersive virtual reality experiences that place participants in a virtual body with features of an out-group member. Here, we provide a mechanistic account of bodily resonance and implicit bias in terms of a putative self-image network that encodes associations between different features of an agent. When subsequently perceiving another agent, the output of this self-image network is proportional to the overlap between their respective features, providing an index of bodily resonance. By combining the self-image network with a drift diffusion model of decision making, we simulate performance on the implicit association test (IAT) and show that the model captures the ubiquitous implicit bias towards in-group members. We subsequently demonstrate that this implicit bias can be modulated by a simulated illusory body ownership experience, consistent with empirical data; and that the magnitude and plasticity of implicit bias correlates with self-esteem. Hence, we provide a simple mechanistic account of bodily resonance and implicit bias which could contribute to the development of interventions for reducing the negative evaluation of social out-groups.10 p.application/pdfengcc-by-nc-nd (c) Bedder, et. al. , 2019http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/esRealitat virtualEncarnacióAssociacionismeVirtual realityIncarnationAssociationisminfo:eu-repo/semantics/article7018602020-11-09info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess30553934