Poster #14 - The Impact of Idiosyncratic Information on Children’s Attitudes and Biophilic Inclinations toward Animals

• In Event: Poster Session 01

Abstract

Research in the area of conservation psychology suggests that the tendency to engage in conservation behaviors develops from the interplay of both knowledge of, and affinity toward, nature (Schmitz & Rocha, 2018; Berenguer, 2007). Consider for example an endangered animal, dolphins. We might know that habitat destruction and ocean pollution are causing more species of dolphins to become endangered, but if we do not like dolphins, we are not likely to engage in conservation behaviors to protect them. Similarly, we might love dolphins, but if we do not know how pollution and habit loss affect the well-being of these mammals, we are not going to take any conservation action.
Our disposition to engage in conservation behaviors, then, involves aligning our knowledge and attitudes. The present study attempts to explore this connection by investigating the impact of knowledge on attitudes and the care one feels toward animals. However, the type of information acquired matters when examining the relation between knowledge and attitudes, as not all types of knowledge have a positive impact on attitudes (Frick et al., 2004; Ramsey & Rickson, 1976). The present study focuses on idiosyncratic information, due to considerations on its potential cognitive strengths as well as on the pervasiveness of “fun facts” lists in everyday life.
Participants (Children n=60, ages 4-10; Adults n=46) partook in a virtual interview, where they were provided with taxonomic or idiosyncratic information about different target animals. The type of information provided (“facts”) was manipulated within subjects, so that each participant received either idiosyncratic information about some animals, and taxonomic information about other animals. We assessed pre-existing participants’ knowledge of each animal; and their attitudes toward the animal before and after learning the information we provided. We then presented participants with an environmental moral dilemma in which a human character committed a harmful act against the target animal for their own benefit. We assessed whether the information received impacted participants’ care for the target item by asking them whether they thought that the harmful actions were permissible or not, and why (Howe et al., 1996; Kahn & Lourenço, 2002).
Qualitative and quantitative analyses (to be reported at the SRCD conference) will be conducted to test two major predictions. First, we expect idiosyncratic facts to enhance children’s positive feelings (i.e., attitudes) toward animals more than taxonomic facts. Second, we expect idiosyncratic facts to impact children’s biophilic inclination toward animals differently from other types of knowledge. In particular, we predict that children will display higher levels of care and protective attitudes when exposed to idiosyncratic than to taxonomic information. Finally, we will report differences between children and adults. We expect to find that children, because they likely have less knowledge about the animals presented in the tasks, will show greater “gains” in their ethical reasoning than will adults. We will examine this possibility by comparing the performance of these groups with the responses participants of these ages tend to give in other, similar, tasks (e.g., Kahn, Kohlberg).

Authors

• Vittoria Sipone, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
  Presenting Author

• Chris A Lawson

• Harleen Tewatia

• Emma Lewis