CAREER: The Application of Strategic Anthropomorphism to Activate Empathy and Advance Conservation

职业：运用战略拟人化来激活同理心并推进保护

• 批准号: 2240023
• 负责人: Cameron Whitley
• 金额: $ 52.97万
• 依托单位: Western Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2028-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2240023&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Application; Strategic; Anthropomorphism; Activate

Biodiversity loss negatively impacts economic, political, and social life, making it critical to identify ways to encourage conservation behaviors. This CAREER project investigates the use of animal imagery to activate empathy, promote conservation behaviors, and engage diverse populations. This study focuses on the effect of imagery that highlights animals’ human qualities, known as strategic anthropomorphic animal imagery (SAAIs). The results from a series of online and in person survey experiments, observation, and focus groups give zoos, aquariums, and other conservation organizations essential information about how to depict animals to activate empathy and promote conservation efforts. The project also assesses who feels included and excluded in conservation efforts and how imagery can be used to promote greater access and inclusion. The study involves both academic research and public educational activities that include talks, trainings, and workshops for students, academics, artists, and industry professionals on best practices for using animal imagery to advance conservation. The research draws from collaborations with an internationally recognized conservation photographer and with the Advancing Conservation Through Empathy for Wildlife Network (ACE), which is a network of 20 zoos and aquariums. Because they are the largest and most public-facing conservation organizations, zoos and aquariums from the ACE network serve as the research sites for the in-person components of the study. The first phase of the study involves collecting data from 17,400 participants through six survey-experiments with the goal of identifying the image and text that most effectively activate empathy and enhance conservation. Insights from Phase 1 will be used in Phase 2 for in-person experiments where zoo and aquarium signage is changed and data are collected through participant observation and surveys of at least 2,400 patrons. This phase also involves a longitudinal component assessing whether initial empathy and conservation enhancements persist over time. Phase 3 involves conducting a nationally representative survey (n=1,200) to assess the degree to which members of the public feel included in conservation efforts. This information is used to inform focus groups to assess how strategic anthropomorphic animal imagery (SAAIs) might be used to promote greater access and inclusion in conservation. Desired outcomes of this project are to generate scientific data to inform conservation work, to identify depictions and frames of animals that activate empathy, and to broaden perceptions of inclusion within conservation organizations. The project aims to address biodiversity loss, which has implications for national security, food security, disease control, and climate change mitigation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

生物多样性的丧失对经济、政治和社会生活产生了负面影响，因此找到鼓励保护行为的方法至关重要。这个职业项目调查了如何使用动物意象来激活同理心，促进保护行为，并让不同的人群参与进来。这项研究着重于突出动物人性的意象的效果，被称为战略性拟人化动物意象(SAAI)。来自一系列在线和面对面调查实验、观察和焦点小组的结果为动物园、水族馆和其他保护组织提供了关于如何描绘动物以激活同理心和促进保护工作的基本信息。该项目还评估了哪些人觉得自己被纳入和被排除在保护工作中，以及如何利用图像来促进更多的机会和包容。这项研究既涉及学术研究，也涉及公共教育活动，包括为学生、学者、艺术家和行业专业人士举办讲座、培训和研讨会，介绍利用动物形象促进保护的最佳做法。这项研究来自与一位国际公认的保护摄影师以及通过野生动物同理心推进保护网络(ACE)的合作，ACE是一个由20个动物园和水族馆组成的网络。因为他们是最大和最面向公众的保护组织，来自ACE网络的动物园和水族馆作为研究的面对面部分的研究地点。这项研究的第一阶段涉及通过六项调查实验从17,400名参与者那里收集数据，目的是识别最有效地激活同理心和加强保护的图像和文本。第一阶段的见解将用于第二阶段的面对面实验，改变动物园和水族馆的标牌，并通过参与者观察和对至少2400名顾客的调查收集数据。这个阶段还包括一个纵向部分，评估最初的同理心和保护增强是否会随着时间的推移而持续下去。第三阶段涉及进行一项具有全国代表性的调查(n=1,200)，以评估公众在多大程度上感到参与保护工作。这些信息被用来为重点小组提供信息，以评估如何利用战略性的拟人化动物形象(SAAI)来促进更多的获取和纳入保护。该项目的预期成果是产生科学数据，为保护工作提供信息，确定能够激发同理心的动物的描述和框架，并扩大对保护组织内包容的认识。该项目旨在解决生物多样性丧失的问题，这对国家安全、食品安全、疾病控制和气候变化缓解具有影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。