Embodiment vs. Priming: Does virtually being a successful female leader

Although there is growing awareness about the issue of gender equality, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. Exposing them to successful female characters, who contradict stereotypes and gender roles, is a commonly used strategy to support their professional advancement. Standard experimental practices are based on the use of pictures of female role models to prime leadership attitude and behavior. In the present study, we aim at comparing the effects of classical methods versus those of embodiment illusions. In specific, we will explore whether virtually being a successful role model -Angela Merkel- might be effective in affecting i) self-attitude at the implicit and explicit level, ii) self-efficacy, iii) and attitude toward women in managerial positions. Preliminary analyses suggest that scores on the explicit measures increase as the participants' level of self-esteem increases when they are in the control and priming condition -that is, when they embody an avatar that resembles themselves. In contrast, no effect of self-esteem level is found when they are in Merkel's body. Finding that virtually assuming the identity of a successful role model mitigates the influence of certain personal traits on one's performance and self-attitude would have great applicative repercussions in terms of new training strategy development.