Document Type

Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2019

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Experimental Psychology

Committee Chair

Kara Gabriel

Second Committee Member

Mary Radeke

Third Committee Member

Paul W. James

Abstract

The current study investigated the influence of music and video on perceptions of fish, willingness to help aquatic conservation efforts, and attitudes about the marine environment. Participants were randomly distributed to one of six groups which varied by presenting information about marine life in a video format or through printed text (i.e., video or pamphlet) and on the background music that played during the presentation of that information (i.e., ominous, uplifting, or no sound). Participants, then, completed several counterbalanced measures, including rating how much six different words (i.e., three positive and three negative) applied to fish, Willingness to Conserve questions about ocean conservation and fish-repopulation, their knowledge about non-native species, and a series of questions assessing their attitudes toward the marine environment, which consisted of seven different categories (i.e., naturalistic, moralistic, ecologistic, or humanistic, dominionistic, utilitarian, or negativistic). A 3 (Music) x 2 (Video) multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of video presentation on the combined dependent measure; an effect that was most pronounced on ratings of positive words in relation to fish. The results of the current study demonstrate that video presentation of information about fish and the marine environment can positively influence perceptions of fish.

Language

English

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