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Investigating the Influence of Zoo Exhibit Design on Visitor Empathy for Wildlife

Grover, Emily R.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515095282489716

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
Zoos and aquaria are constantly expanding upon their animal habitats and creating new visitor experiences. In addition to traditional interpretive signage, some institutions are incorporating innovative features such as videos and interactive elements into their exhibits. While there has been some research on how these new exhibit elements might impact visitor learning, what remains to be researched is how different elements of exhibit design influence the emotional connections made between visitors and animals during a zoo visit. This study sought to investigate 1) zoo visitors’ empathy for charismatic and non- charismatic animals, 2) what types of exhibit elements visitors interact with, and 3) whether specific exhibit design elements can be used to influence visitor empathy for the two types of animals. It was hypothesized that these exhibit elements can influence visitor empathy for animals, and specifically, those elements with more “layers” or technological features such as videos or interactive elements will be more influential. It was also predicted that zoo visitors will have high levels of empathy for wildlife, especially for charismatic species. It was expected that there would be gender and age differences in empathy for wildlife as well. To test these hypotheses, participants were recruited at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to complete a survey measuring their empathy for a charismatic and non-charismatic species, represented by a polar bear and jellyfish, and their perception of each exhibit element’s contribution to their empathy for those two species. The data were analyzed using correlations, t-tests, ANOVAs, and regression analysis. Results from data analysis suggest that zoo visitors express high levels of empathy for wildlife and slightly higher empathy for charismatic species. They also suggest that different exhibit elements do influence visitor empathy for both charismatic and non-charismatic species, and visitors perceive the elements of theming and animal habitat to be most influential in promoting empathy for wildlife. The findings of this study provide valuable implications for promoting visitor empathy for wildlife as well as improving zoo exhibit design.
Kristi Lekies (Advisor)
Alia Dietsch (Committee Member)
Emily Buck (Committee Member)
109 p.
Museum Studies; Social Research; Wildlife Conservation
exhibit design; empathy; zoo; wildlife; charismatic; non-charismatic; zoo visitors

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Grover, E. R. (2018). Investigating the Influence of Zoo Exhibit Design on Visitor Empathy for Wildlife [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515095282489716

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Grover, Emily. Investigating the Influence of Zoo Exhibit Design on Visitor Empathy for Wildlife. 2018. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515095282489716.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Grover, Emily. "Investigating the Influence of Zoo Exhibit Design on Visitor Empathy for Wildlife." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515095282489716

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1515095282489716
2,087
© 2018, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Investigating the Influence of Zoo Exhibit Design on Visitor Empathy for Wildlife by Emily R. Grover is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.