Can Interpretive Messages Change Park Visitors’ Views on Wildland Fire?

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Wiles ◽  
Troy E. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
National Park ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Persuasive Argument ◽  
Attitude Scales ◽  
Guided Tour ◽  
Knowledge Scale

This study evaluated the effect of differently formulated interpretive messages embedded in a 90-minute guided tour on Mesa Verde National Park visitors’ knowledge and attitudes about wildland fire. Using a Solomon four-group experimental design, 31 different groups of visitors ( N=496) received affective arguments, cognitive arguments, a combination of arguments, or no persuasive argument. All persuasive programs led to significant increases (one to two points) on a five-question knowledge scale and two attitude scales, although the three treatments did not differ in their effects. Attitudes became slightly more positive about the ecological role of fire and less negative about the destructive nature of fire. A slight priming effect of the pre-test was found for one measure but there were no effects on other measures, supporting the external validity of study findings. Attitude and knowledge changes related to fire were greater for those who had weaker prior attitudes or lower prior levels of knowledge. Counter to hypotheses, the personal relevance of fire and need for cognition did not exhibit a significant relationship to knowledge gain or attitude change.

scholarly journals Evaluating the effectiveness of guided versus non-guided interpretation in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Roberts ◽  
Kevin Mearns ◽  
Victoria Edwards
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
National Park ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Visitor Satisfaction ◽  
The Face ◽  
Harmful Effects

In the face of growing pressure placed on the natural environment, the study on which this article is based considered the effectiveness of interpretive provision in mitigating the harmful effects of tourism on the environment. The aim of this research was to determine whether guided or non-guided interpretation is most effective in reaching the stated goals of interpretation. The four key goals of interpretation, namely visitor satisfaction, knowledge gain, attitude change and modification of behaviour intent, were used in the assessment of the relative effectiveness of guided and non-guided interpretation in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Through comparing responses to questionnaires from post-visit samples and observing both guided and non-guided interpretation, the research found that guided interpretation was only marginally more effective in reaching the four key goals of interpretation than the non-guided interpretive media. Guided interpretation was found to be more effective in terms of visitor satisfaction, whilst guided and non-guided interpretation had only marginal differences in effectiveness in relation to knowledge gain, attitude change and intent to modify behaviour.Conservation implications: The necessity of implementing an appropriate interpretation programme within protected areas cannot be overemphasised. The interpretation programme should be designed to include elements of both guided and non-guided interpretation in order to achieve a predetermined goal. The effectiveness of the programme should be evaluated periodically and amended where appropriate.

scholarly journals The Emotional Effects of Science Narratives: A Theoretical Framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Bilandzic ◽  
Susanne Kinnebrock ◽  
Magdalena Klingler
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science News ◽  
The One ◽  
Emotional Effects

Stories have long been discussed as a tool to make science accessible to the public. The potential of stories to stimulate emotions in their audiences makes them an emotional communication strategy <em>par excellence</em>. While studies exist that test the effects of stories in science communication on the one hand and the effects of emotions on the other hand, there is no systematic elaboration of the mechanisms through which stories in science communication evoke emotions and how these emotions influence outcomes such as knowledge gain and attitude change. In this article, we develop a theoretical framework of the “Emotional Effects of Science Narratives” (EESN-Model), which includes a typology of emotions likely to arise from reading science communication as well as mechanisms for each of the emotions to evoke the (desired) outcomes. The model serves as a heuristic to delineate the emotional effects of narratives in science coverage and will help guide research in this domain to provide a deeper understanding of the role of emotion in science news.

THE ROLE OF SEA-LEVEL RISE AND STORMS IN FORMATION AND RESILIENCE OF FLORIDA BAY ISLANDS, EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Lynn Wingard ◽  
◽  
Miriam C. Jones ◽  
Sarah E. Bergstresser ◽  
Bethany L. Stackhouse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
National Park ◽  
Florida Bay ◽  
Everglades National Park ◽  
Bay Islands

scholarly journals Knowledge and attitudes towards concussion in UK-based male ice hockey players: A need for attitude change?

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hutchinson ◽  
Paul Ellison ◽  
Andrew Levy ◽  
David Marchant
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Ice Hockey ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Accurate Knowledge ◽  
Hockey Players ◽  
Sport Concussion ◽  
Concussion History ◽  
Concussion Knowledge ◽  
The Uk

Objective Concussion is a common injury in ice hockey, and previous research suggests some misconceptions and unsafe attitudes amongst players. The purpose of this study was to assess sport concussion knowledge, attitudes and the effect of sport concussion history in UK-based male ice hockey players across three levels of competition: professional, semi-professional and amateur. Methods Sixty-one participants across a number of UK ice hockey teams completed the Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey and reviewed a series of statements to assess knowledge (concussion knowledge index), attitudes (concussion attitude index) and misconceptions of concussion. Results Level of competition and concussion history had no significant effect on concussion knowledge index or concussion attitude index. A positive significant relationship exists between playing experience and concussion knowledge index and concussion attitude index. Statements identified common misconceptions and areas of accurate knowledge regarding concussion symptoms suggesting that male ice hockey players have a higher level knowledge compared to a sample of the UK general public. Playing experience was associated with increased knowledge and increasingly safe attitudes towards concussion. Conclusion Despite knowledge relating to loss of consciousness and correct management of symptoms being generally accurate, there are worryingly unsafe attitudes regarding aspects of concussion. Such attitudes may well pose significant threats to players’ safety and long-term health.

Remembering the Battle of Pezi Sla (Greasy Grass—aka Little Bighorn) with the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Victory Riders: An Autoethnographic Photo Essay

2021 ◽  
pp. 153270862199112
Author(s):  
Elena Tajima Creef ◽  
Carl J. Petersen
Keyword(s):  
American History ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Northern Cheyenne ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Photo Essay

If one travels to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Park in late June, one can witness at least three events that simultaneously take place each year commemorating what has been called “one of the great mythic and mysterious military battles of American history” (Frosch, 2010). The National Park Service rangers give “battle talks” on the hour to visiting tourists. Two miles away, the privately run U.S. Cavalry School also performs a scripted reenactment called “Custer’s Last Ride”—with riders who have been practicing all week to play the role of soldiers from the doomed regiment of Custer’s 7th Cavalry. On this same day, a traveling band of men, women, and youth from the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Nations who have journeyed by horseback and convoy from the Dakotas and Wyoming will reach Last Stand Hill to remember this “Victory Day” from 1876—one that historians have called the “last stand of the Indians” during the period of conflict known as the “Great Sioux War.” This photo essay offers an autoethnographic account of what some have dubbed the annual “Victory Ride” to Montana based upon my participation as a non-Native supporter of this Ride in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

scholarly journals Changes in perceptions of media bias

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205316802098744
Author(s):  
Kirby Goidel ◽  
Nicholas T. Davis ◽  
Spencer Goidel
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Media Bias ◽  
Congressional Election ◽  
Election Study ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Change Perceptions ◽  
Individual Perceptions ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
The Media

In this paper, we utilize a module from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study to explore how individual perceptions of media bias changed over the course of the 2016 presidential campaign. While previous literature has documented the role of partisan affiliation in perceptions of bias, we know considerably less about how these perceptions change during a presidential election. Consistent with existing theories of attitude change, perceptions of bias polarize with strong Democrats moving toward believing the media were biased against Hillary Clinton (and in favor of Donald Trump) and independent-leaning Republicans moving toward believing the media were biased against Donald Trump. At the end of the 2016 election, more individuals believed the media were biased against their side. These effects were moderated by how much attention individuals paid to the campaign.

Touring for peace: the role of dual-narrative tours in creating transnational activists

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Maureen Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Contact Hypothesis ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Peace And Justice

Purpose Scholarship on the contact hypothesis and peacebuilding suggests that contact with marginalized ethnic and racial groups may reduce prejudice and improve opportunities for conflict resolution. Through a study of dual-narrative tours to Israel/Palestine, the purpose of this paper is to address two areas of the debate surrounding this approach to social change. First, past research on the effectiveness of contact-based tourism as a method to change attitudes is inconclusive. Travel to a foreign country has been shown to both improve and worsen tourists’ perceptions of a host population. Second, few scholars have attempted to link contact-based changes in attitudes to activism. Design/methodology/approach Through an analysis of 218 post-tour surveys, this study examines the role of dual-narrative tours in sparking attitude change that may facilitate involvement in peace and justice activism. Surveys were collected from the leading “dual-narrative” tour company in the region, MEJDI. Dual-narrative tours uniquely expose mainstream tourists in Israel/Palestine to Palestinian perspectives that are typically absent from the majority of tours to the region. This case study of dual-narrative tours therefore provides a unique opportunity to address the self-selecting bias, as identified by contact hypothesis and tourism scholars, in order to understand the potential impacts of exposure to marginalized narratives. Findings The findings of this study suggest that while these tours tend to engender increased support for Palestinians over Israelis, their most salient function appears to be the cultivation of empathy for “both sides” of the conflict. Similarly, dual-narrative tours often prompt visitors to understand the conflict to be more complex than they previously thought. In terms of activism, tourists tend to prioritize education-based initiatives in their plans for post-tour political engagement. In addition, a large number of participants articulated commitments to support joint Israeli–Palestinian non-governmental organizations and to try to influence US foreign policy to be more equitable. Originality/value These findings complicate debates within the scholarship on peacebuilding as well as within movements for social justice in Israel/Palestine. While programs that equate Israeli and Palestinian perspectives are often criticized for reinforcing the status quo, dual-narrative tours appear to facilitate nuance and universalism while also shifting tourists toward greater identification with an oppressed population. Together, these findings shed light on the ability of tourism to facilitate positive attitude change about a previously stigmatized racial/ethnic group, as well as the power of contact and exposure to marginalized narratives to inspire peace and justice activism.

Microstructure of high-temperature (>73 °C) siliceous sinter deposited around hot springs and geysers, Yellowstone National Park: the role of biological and abiological processes in sedimentation

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1611-1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R Lowe ◽  
Deena Braunstein
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Strain Effect ◽  
Temperature Sinter ◽  
Architectural Features ◽  
Siliceous Sinter ◽  
High Temperature Sinter

Slightly alkaline hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone National Park exhibit distinctive assemblages of high-temperature (>73 °C) siliceous sinter reflecting local hydrodynamic conditions. The main depositional zones include subaqueous pool and channel bottoms and intermittently wetted subaerial splash, surge, and overflow areas. Subaqueous deposits include particulate siliceous sediment and dendritic and microbial silica framework. Silica framework forms thin, porous, microbe-rich films coating subaqueous surfaces. Spicules with intervening narrow crevices dominate in splash zones. Surge and overflow deposits include pool and channel rims, columns, and knobs. In thin section, subaerial sinter is composed of (i) dark brown, nearly opaque laminated sinter deposited on surfaces that evaporate to dryness; (ii) clear translucent silica deposited subaqueously through precipitation driven by supersaturation; (iii) heterogeneous silica representing silica-encrusted microbial filaments and detritus; and (iv) sinter debris. Brownish laminations form the framework of most sinter deposited in surge and overflow zones. Pits and cavities are common architectural features of subaerial sinter and show concave-upward pseudo-cross-laminations and micro-unconformities developed through migration. Marked birefringence of silica deposited on surfaces that evaporate to dryness is probably a strain effect. Repeated wetting and evaporation, often to dryness, and capillary effects control the deposition, morphology, and microstructure of most high-temperature sinter outside of the fully subaqueous zone. Microbial filaments are abundant on and within high-temperature sinter but do not provide the main controls on morphology or structuring except in biofilms developed on subaqueous surfaces. Millimetre-scale lamination cyclicity in much high-temperature sinter represents annual layering and regular seasonal fluctuations in silica sedimentation.

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