Paul W. Eastwick, a graduate student at the University, conducted the study by going into the virtual world There and making requests of strangers. There was no evidence of racial bias in small favors. But when asking very large favors afterwards, Eastwick found that white avatars were more likely to be obliged than black avatars.

The results resemble those of similar studies done in the real world. "This study suggests that interactions among strangers within the virtual world are very similar to interactions between strangers in the real world," Eastwick told iTnews.