In this article, Jacksonville State University's Bill Ford discusses findings from three studies that suggest that self-reports are often inaccurate if they are not validated. There are often differences between stated preferences of visitors and their actual behavior.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood discusses two misconceptions associated with signs that attempt to control visitor behavior. Bitgood cites findings from a study of three types of Do-Not-Feed signs at the Birmingham Zoo.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood responds to nine commonly misconceptions about evaluation. Bitgood cites recent research findings related to visitor evaluation theories and approaches in museums/zoos.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood responds to seven commonly-held beliefs about visitors. Bitgood cites recent research findings to explain visitor behavior in museums/zoos.
In this article, researchers from Jacksonville State University and the Center for Social Design discuss a study that attempted to use questions as label-reading prompts in a new way. Questions were written on a sheet of paper and made available as a handout to visitors at the Birmingham Zoo and Anniston Museum of Natural History. The answers to the questions could be found in the exhibit labels.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Stephen BitgoodDonald PattersonArlene Benefield
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood discusses visitor variables --how these variables influence other visitors and the visitation experience. This report focuses on findings from a study of attitudes toward animals conducted at the Birmingham Zoo. This study focused on the impact of particular variables, including education, gender, leisure reading and knowledge about the subject matter.
In this article, John H. Falk, Ph.D., of Science Learning, Inc., discusses leisure decisions influencing African-Americans use of museums. Falk cites findings from two research studies that investigated the relative importance of a variety of critical variables postulated at possible reasons for the under-utilization of museums by African-Americans.
In this article, Barbara A. Birney of Interpretive Planning in Nuce discusses findings from a 1988 study of 12-year-old children's perceptions of their social experience in musuems and zoos. Birney found that children associated visiting museums and zoos with their parents with a lack of control over their own learning experience.
In this article, David Scott, Ph.D. provides a summary of an importance-performance appraisal of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. The attributes selected for appraisal included a variety of service attributes.
In this article, Pete Conroy of the Anniston Museum of Natural History analyzes how "cheap thrills" can be the most effective ways to capture visitors' attentions, after which educational messages can be delivered. Conroy discusses the role of cheap thrills in zoo and museum exhibitions.
In this article, Sydney Donahoe discusses visitor research at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Donahoe explains three main reasons for conducting this research: advertising and marketing campaigns, to improve their product, and to assess visitor learning and enjoyment.