Proxemic behaviors as predictors of aggression towards Black (but not White) males in an immersive virtual environment

This study investigated the relationship between participant proxemic behavior and overt aggression during interactions with Black and White agents in an immersive virtual environment. In a series of two tasks, participants first interacted with two male agents (each of the same race) and then engaged in a violent shooting game with those agents. Participants' proxemic behaviors (interpersonal distance and head movements) during the first task predicted aggressive and hostile participant shots against Black but not White agents in the subsequent task. Results supported the value of proxemic variables in predicting aggression and the utility of IVET for experimental social psychology.