This is a brief summary of the historical periods described in Jon Coe's 1986 article entitled "Towards a Coevolution of Zoos, Aquariums, and Natural History Museums." Coe traces the history of exhibit design in these three types of informal settings.
In this article, researchers at Jacksonville State University share methods and findings from a study that compared the effectiveness of three types of "Do-Not-Feed" signs at the monkey island in the Birmingham Zoo. This is a summary of a paper to be presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans in March, 1988.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Stephen BitgoodJerry CarnesAngela NaborsDon Patterson
In this article, Valerie D. Thompson of the San Diego Zoological Gardens discusses findings from a 10-week observational study during the summer months of 1977 to investigate the nature of noncompliant behavior of zoo visitors. Noncompliant behaviors included distracting, teasing, feeding, or attempting to injure the animals. Thompson addresses how these findings have helped alleviate problematic behavior at the zoo.
This is a brief summary of Barbara Birney's 1988 article featured in "Environment and Behavior," which discussed key findings from the formative evaluation of Brookfield Zoo's "Flying Walk" exhibit. The exhibit was designed to teach visitors the proper wing movement of birds.
This is a brief abstract of Donald Thompson's Master's Thesis at Jacksonville State University. Thompson studied over 5600 visitor groups at the Birmingham Zoo as they passed throu the entrance of the Predator House and studied visitor responses to interpretive signs of varied lengths, type sizes and proximities.
This is a brief abstract of Suzanne Hodges's Master's Thesis at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Hodges researched the influence of enlarged signs and less label copy on visitors' behavior at a small children's zoo in Virginia.
This is a brief abstract of Steve R. Hage's Master's Thesis at the University of Minnesota. Hage conducted an ethnographic study of family groups at the Japanese Snow Monkey exhibit in the Minnesota Zoo. Hage confirmed prior research that concluded visitors appear to be more interested in viewing active, attractive animals than learning about the natural history of animals.
This is a brief abstract of Ted W. Finlay's Master's Thesis at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Finlay's research evaluated the effects of background settings on the perceptions of animals.
In this article, Albert Ndayitwayeko, AFGRAD Fellow at the University of Florida, and John J. Koran, Jr., Professor and Curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, analyze the informal education field in the Republic of Burundi, a small country located in Central Africa. This discussion focuses on natural history museums and zoos, their exhibits and visitor behavior, which may serve as a valuable and less expensive adjunct to formal learning.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Albert NdayitwayekoJohn J. Koran, Jr.
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, 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.