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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal

Facing Empathy: Reducing Facial-Differences Bias Through a Story

  • Brea Chouinard1,2,3
  • Mary Cheuk3,4
  • William Hodgetts4
  • Jacqueline Cummine3,4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
  2. 2Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
  3. 3Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
  4. 4Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Abstract

Objective: This study investigated if an empathy-evoking vignette could reduce facial differences bias, while considering gender.

Design: Participants (N = 124) were randomly assigned to read either an empathy-evoking vignette or nothing, after which they completed indirect and direct bias measures.

Setting: The study was conducted entirely online.

Participants: Those completing the study were members of the general public, none of which had a facial difference.

Interventions: Participants either read a short, empathy-evoking vignette or nothing before then completing the tasks.

Main Outcome Measures: The indirect measure of bias was an implicit association task. Explicit measures of bias were questions about preferences and attitudes toward people with facial differences.

Results: Reading the vignette led to lower bias on indirect and direct measures in females, whereas in the small sample of males, vignette males tended toward greater bias than no-vignette males. Although we tried to expand insights into bias in different genders, we did not have enough non-binary participants.

Conclusion: This study showed that empathy-evoking vignettes can attenuate facial differences bias in females but may inadvertently heighten bias in males, underscoring the moderating role of gender in narrative-based interventions. Future work should explore diverse narrative types and perspectives, using a wider range of stimuli (varied facial differences, genders, ethnicities) and participant genders, and should incorporate gender into analyses of bias.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{chouinard2026facing,
  title = {{Facing Empathy: Reducing Facial-Differences Bias Through a Story}},
  author = {Brea Chouinard and Mary Cheuk and William Hodgetts and Jacqueline Cummine},
  journal = {The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1177/10556656261455305},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656261455305},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Facing Empathy: Reducing Facial-Differences Bias Through a Story
AU  - Brea Chouinard
AU  - Mary Cheuk
AU  - William Hodgetts
AU  - Jacqueline Cummine
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/22
JO  - The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal
DO  - 10.1177/10556656261455305
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656261455305
AB  - Objective: This study investigated if an empathy-evoking vignette could reduce facial differences bias, while considering gender.  Design: Participants (N = 124) were randomly assigned to read either an empathy-evoking vignette or nothing, after which they completed indirect and direct bias measures.  Setting: The study was conducted entirely online.  Participants: Those completing the study were members of the general public, none of which had a facial difference.  Interventions: Participants either read a short, empathy-evoking vignette or nothing before then completing the tasks.  Main Outcome Measures: The indirect measure of bias was an implicit association task. Explicit measures of bias were questions about preferences and attitudes toward people with facial differences.  Results: Reading the vignette led to lower bias on indirect and direct measures in females, whereas in the small sample of males, vignette males tended toward greater bias than no-vignette males. Although we tried to expand insights into bias in different genders, we did not have enough non-binary participants.  Conclusion: This study showed that empathy-evoking vignettes can attenuate facial differences bias in females but may inadvertently heighten bias in males, underscoring the moderating role of gender in narrative-based interventions. Future work should explore diverse narrative types and perspectives, using a wider range of stimuli (varied facial differences, genders, ethnicities) and participant genders, and should incorporate gender into analyses of bias.
SN  - 1055-6656
SN  - 1545-1569
ER  -