The first phase of Whitley’s research will involve enlisting upwards of 17,400 paid participants to complete online experiments to assess their emotional responses to different types of animal imagery. Whitley will take the information gleaned from the online experiments and work with ACE Network zoos and aquariums to do in person experiments where patrons will engage with different types of animal imagery and text in exhibits and then be surveyed to capture their emotional response. Data about donations will also be collected. Some images will be simply the image, alone, others will have explanatory text and captions as you would expect in an exhibit.
“This should yield some pretty fascinating data. How will viewers react to an animal portrait versus a beautiful image of that animal in the wild? And what about animals that don’t have ‘faces’ per se, like corals or sea stars? In the past, most of this work has focused on charismatic megafauna like bears and lions. We want to more past this into assessing imagery for less charismatic animals. This is what we are hoping to dig into,” Whitley said.
In the next phase, more online and in person experiments will be conducted to see if empathy can be activated and conservation behaviors can be engaged through target messaging about desired behaviors. This phase will also allow for a follow-up study on a subset of online and in person participants to see if they are engaging in the desired conservation behaviors at one and three months after viewing the exhibit.
Flach said he was excited to see the impact of the project on people who can make a massive difference in conservation efforts.
“As an animal photographer, I firmly believe that connecting people to nature is crucial for our future. I am excited about the partnership between WWU and ACE, which offers a unique opportunity to examine the kind of images that activate empathy and which have been proven to result in pro-environmental outcomes. I am confident that this partnership has the potential to make a huge contribution to conservation efforts,” said Flach.
Grajal agreed.
“The use of animal portraiture is less common than wildlife photography in zoo and aquarium spaces, so this will help the field understand what, if anything, is valuable in this more novel visual approach in relation to our mission of getting people to connect to wildlife and prioritize conservation," he said.
“Conservation organizations, including zoos and aquariums have not had the greatest track record for inclusivity” Whitley said. The last phase will be used assess who feels included or excluded from conservation communities and what can be done to enhance inclusion specifically through the use of imagery.
“We will conduct a nationally representative survey and then do targeted focus groups with underrepresented communities about perceptions of conservation, zoos, aquariums and what would make different groups feel more included. Whether it is people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or those who are disabled, we want to get a better grasp on how they feel about these organizations and what we can do using our research to increase inclusion,” Whitley who previously worked as an ADEI, (accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion specialist) said. “We want our work to be about both underrepresented animals and underrepresented humans.”
Crucial contributors: WWU sociology students
WWU sociology students will be crucial contributors to all phases of the effort, said Whitley; work in his lab at Western has already swung to full involvement in the project and undergrads are already engaged. Years 2 and 3 include stipends to pay graduate students for assistance, and plans are in place for Flach to do photography workshops on campus in the near future as well.
Whitley said zoos and aquariums already do so much to assist in education and building connections between the public and the animals in their care, but this research can be the kind of multiplier they need to be even more impactful.
“If this work and this grant can be used to make the public more aware of how they can help in conservation efforts, address biodiversity loss, or to fight climate change, all the effort by myself and my students will be time well spent,” Whitley said.
To find out more about Whitley’s NSF CAREER grant or his research, contact him at whitlec@wwu.edu.