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

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。这个职业项目调查使用动物图像来激活同理心，促进保护行为，并吸引不同的人群。本研究的重点是强调动物的人类品质的图像的效果，被称为战略拟人化动物图像（SAAIs）。一系列在线和亲自调查实验、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发同情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包括在保护工作中，哪些人被排除在外，以及如何利用图像来促进更多的接触和包容。这项研究包括学术研究和公众教育活动，包括为学生、学者、艺术家和行业专业人士举办讲座、培训和讲习班，介绍利用动物图像促进保护的最佳做法。这项研究是与一位国际公认的保护摄影师和“通过同情野生动物网络推进保护”（ACE）合作进行的，该网络由20个动物园和水族馆组成。因为它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现场组成部分。研究的第一阶段包括通过六项调查实验收集17400名参与者的数据，目的是确定最有效地激发同理心和增强保护的图像和文本。从第一阶段获得的见解将用于第二阶段的亲自实验，其中动物园和水族馆的标志将被更改，并通过对至少2,400名顾客的参与观察和调查收集数据。这一阶段还包括纵向成分，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。第三阶段包括进行一项具有全国代表性的调查（n= 1200），以评估公众对保护工作的参与程度。这些信息用于告知焦点小组，以评估如何使用战略性拟人化动物图像（SAAIs）来促进更多的保护获取和包容。该项目的预期结果是产生科学数据，为保护工作提供信息，确定能够激发同情心的动物描述和框架，并扩大保护组织内部的包容性。该项目旨在解决生物多样性丧失问题，这对国家安全、粮食安全、疾病控制和减缓气候变化都有影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.