The Eyes Never Lie: Understanding Discrimination through Virtual Reality

Last registered on October 13, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Eyes Never Lie: Understanding Discrimination through Virtual Reality
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016945
Initial registration date
October 07, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 13, 2025, 10:08 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Tommaso Sartori
Affiliation
Monash University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Rigissa Megalokonomou
PI Affiliation
Monash University
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PI Name
Sebastiano Della Lena
PI Affiliation
Monash University
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PI Name
Yves Zenou
PI Affiliation
Monash University
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PI Name
Evangelos Dioikitopoulos
PI Affiliation
Athens University of Economics and Business
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-11-24
End date
2026-07-01
Keywords
Gender, Lab
Additional Keywords
Discrimination
JEL code(s)
C90; C91; I21; J15; J16
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
A large body of research shows that social identity shapes how individuals are perceived, evaluated, and rewarded across a wide range of contexts. Yet, less is known about how these disparities emerge in real time—specifically, whether they stem from differences in attention and comprehension or from judgments made after information has been processed. This study investigates how characteristics of an information source influence the extent to which identical content is attended to and retained. Using a controlled experimental environment that equalizes delivery across conditions, we measure participants’ engagement and short-run learning under varying identity cues. By isolating early-stage mechanisms of information processing, the study contributes to understanding how subtle biases can affect learning and communication even when content quality is held constant.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Della Lena, Sebastiano et al. 2025. "The Eyes Never Lie: Understanding Discrimination through Virtual Reality." AEA RCT Registry. October 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16945-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants will take part in a controlled experimental task designed to examine how characteristics of an information source influence attention and learning. Each participant is exposed to a series of brief informational messages delivered by speakers who vary in apparent identity. The study measures how participants engage with and retain information under different identity conditions. The intervention focuses on understanding mechanisms of attention and information processing rather than the content of the messages themselves.
Intervention Start Date
2025-11-24
Intervention End Date
2026-02-27

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcomes we will measure are variables related to the attention paid by the individual to each one of the speakers and their retention of information.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants take part in an immersive experimental task examining how features of an information source influence attention and learning. The study follows a 2×2 design, reflecting combinations of two different individual characteristics of the speakers. Each participant is exposed to four short stories, with each speaker randomly assigned to narrate one of them, ensuring that all participants experience the same set of stories under different presentation conditions.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization occurs at the individual level within each experimental session. Each session will include up to 30 participants, who complete the task simultaneously in a controlled environment. Participants are randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions corresponding to the different combinations of speaker characteristics.

Each participant views four short stories, and for each story, one of the four digital speakers is randomly selected to deliver it. This ensures that all participants are exposed to the same set of stories, but the pairing between story and speaker varies randomly across individuals. Randomization is implemented through random assignment in the experimental software.
Randomization Unit
The randomization is conducted at the individual level. Within each experimental session (involving up to 30 participants), each participant is randomly assigned to hear the stories narrated by one of the four speakers.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not applicable (no clustering).
Sample size: planned number of observations
The planned number of observations is 2,200, although we will try to collect more based on funding availability.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
The planned sample size is of 2,200 students, although we will try to collect more based on funding availability.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2025-10-03
IRB Approval Number
49523
Analysis Plan