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Research Case Study

Gaining Visitor Consent for Research II: Improving the Posted-Sign Method

April 1, 2003 | Exhibitions
One method for studying visitors in museums is to audiotape their conversations while videotaping their behavior. Many researchers inform visitors of such recordings by posting signs in the areas under scrutiny. An earlier study tested the assumption that visitors notice, read and understand posted signs (Gutwill, 2003). Interviews revealed that 75 percent of visitors leaving a recording area had read and understood the signs. This article describes our attempt at increasing this percentage by placing additional signs on the exhibit elements being used, as well as on the camera itself. Interviews of 200 adult visitors found that 99 percent of them knew they had been recorded. We provide details of the improved method for posting signs to inform visitors of recordings.

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  • 2013 07 22 Josh
    Author
    Exploratorium
  • Citation

    ISSN : 0011-3069
    Publication Name: Curator: The Museum Journal
    Volume: 46
    Number: 2
    Page Number: 228

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: ISE/AISL
    Award Number: 0087844
    Funding Amount: 1284590
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Education and learning science
    Audience: Adults | General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits

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