Practice Makes Person: From Avatar to Moral Self Through Simulated Leadership Experiences

Abstract

Based on an expertise model of moral character, this paper examines how simulated scenario-based experiences can build implicit attitudes upon which moral action is based. Supported by theories of situated learning and social intuitionism, this conceptual framework proposes an extension of the Proteus Effect, the influence of avatar identity on behavior and subsequent carryover from virtual experiences to the real world. Implicit moral schema is discussed as the basis for selecting avatar-based virtual learning experiences to accelerate the development of moral identity in future leaders.